RF Design Engineer

Expleo Defence is seeking an experienced RF Design Engineer to join our growing engineering team, supporting the design, development and validation of advanced RF and mixed‑signal electronics for defence and high‑technology applications.

This role is particularly suited to an engineer with strong practical RF design experience who is comfortable taking RF solutions from component selection and schematic design through to PCB integration, laboratory validation and system‑level integration.

The successful candidate can be based on the UK mainland, with the flexibility to travel to Belfast for laboratory activities. Laboratory work is expected to take place in blocks of a few weeks at a time, rather than requiring permanent relocation to Belfast.

You will work closely with RF, electronics, PCB layout, systems, software/firmware and test engineers to develop robust, production‑ready solutions.

• Design and develop RF analogue and mixed‑signal electronics for complex engineering systems.
• Design RF transceiver and front‑end architectures using monolithic RF chipsets, including MMIC, SiP and SoC‑style devices.
• Develop RF schematics, component selections and circuit designs in accordance with system requirements.
• Design and implement RF impedance matching networks, including L/C matching and other appropriate techniques.
• Translate RF component datasheets, application circuits, biasing requirements and recommended matching networks into robust designs.
• Work closely with PCB layout engineers to ensure RF designs are implemented correctly, considering signal integrity, grounding, shielding, routing and manufacturability.
• Integrate RF blocks and sub‑systems into larger electronic and system architectures.
• Develop and execute RF design verification and validation activities.
• Conduct hands‑on laboratory testing using equipment such as:
• Spectrum analysers.
• Vector Network Analysers (VNAs)
• RF signal generators.
• Power meters.
• Oscilloscopes and associated RF test equipment.
• Analyse measured data and use results to troubleshoot and improve RF designs.
• Investigate RF performance issues and systematically debug problems across hardware, layout and system interfaces.
• Produce clear and traceable engineering documentation, including:
• Schematics.
• Design calculations.
• Design notes.
• Test plans.
• Test procedures.
• Verification and validation reports.
• Test results.
• Collaborate with test and validation teams to ensure designs meet specified performance requirements.
• Work with firmware/software engineers where required to support RF device configuration, control and system integration.
• Support design reviews, technical investigations and engineering problem‑solving activities.
• Contribute to the development of engineering processes, standards and best practice within the wider Expleo team.

The successful candidate will have:

• Solid knowledge of RF principles, including:
• Signal propagation
• RF link budgets
• Noise
• Dynamic range
• Gain and attenuation
• Filtering
• RF performance metrics
• Basic RF regulations and compliance considerations
• Ability to interpret RF test results and use measured data to identify and resolve design issues.
• Ability to interpret RF component datasheets and translate manufacturer recommendations into practical circuit designs.
• Strong problem‑solving and debugging capability, with the ability to iterate RF designs based on laboratory measurements.
• Knowledge of relevant RF design standards and regulatory requirements.

We are looking for a hands‑on RF Design Engineer who can combine strong theoretical RF knowledge with practical design and laboratory experience.

You should be comfortable working independently on RF design problems, but equally capable of collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams.…