Engineering Manager - RF Hardware

Our rapidly scaling Space client is seeking an Engineering Manager – RF Hardware to lead the development and execution of advanced RF electronics across a broad portfolio of space and airborne communication systems. This is a highly technical leadership role responsible for driving engineering excellence, design consistency, and scalable hardware development in a fast-paced environment supporting next-generation communications platforms.

The successful candidate will lead RF hardware teams across multiple product lines and locations while remaining hands‑on in critical design, review, integration, and debug activities. The role combines technical leadership, people management, and cross‑functional collaboration to ensure high‑quality RF hardware is delivered on schedule and transitioned successfully into production.

Please note extensive Management experience is not essential on this - someone who has worked in a Lead capacity and is looking to move more into Management whilst remaining very hands on technically would be a perfect fit.

• Lead RF hardware engineering activities across multiple programmes and product lines.
• Establish and improve RF hardware development processes, standards, and best practices.
• Drive board-level and system-level RF hardware design activities.
• Participate in schematic reviews, layout reviews, and system integration efforts.
• Support RF debug, troubleshooting, and root cause investigations during development and production.
• Ensure hardware designs meet design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) requirements.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, supply chain, quality, firmware, mechanical, and systems engineering teams.
• Lead hiring, mentoring, coaching, and performance management for RF engineering teams.
• Support technical planning, staffing strategies, and programme execution activities.
• Contribute to RF component strategy, supplier management, and long-term technology planning.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
• 7+ years of RF hardware engineering experience with leadership or management exposure.
• Strong experience with RF board-level and system-level hardware development.
• Knowledge of RF architectures, signal integrity, and RF component selection.
• Experience with RF simulation and analysis tools such as ADS, HFSS, CST, or equivalent.
• Understanding of power electronics, digital electronics, firmware interactions, and mechanical integration.
• Experience supporting hardware products from development through manufacturing transition.
• Familiarity with PCB design tools, schematic capture, and engineering review processes.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced aerospace, defense, or high-reliability engineering environment.
• Aerospace, satellite communications, defense, phased array, or high-frequency communications experience.
• Experience scaling engineering teams in a rapidly growing organization.
• Familiarity with production environments, supply chain collaboration, and hardware productization.