Senior​/Principal Radar Signal Processing Engineer; SAR Focus), Onsite

Senior/Principal Radar Signal Processing Engineer (SAR Focus), Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting‑edge work in a broad array of areas.

Are you ready to make real impact on national security through cutting‑edge technology? Join Sandia’s Advanced RF Applications team (Department 5376) as a Radar Signal Processing Engineer and contribute to the development of advanced signal detection, estimation, and processing algorithms for next‑generation RF sensing, tagging, tracking, and locating systems. Our team works closely with national security sponsors across the intelligence community, special operations forces, and defense organizations to address both urgent operational needs and long‑term technical challenges.

In this role, you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of signal processing, RF, software, hardware, and systems engineers to develop and evaluate advanced RF technologies. Our systems often incorporate highly optimized Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)-constrained receivers and transceivers, software‑defined radios, GPUs, advanced antenna systems, and custom signal processing solutions. We develop primarily in C++, MATLAB, and Python while continually evaluating emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches where appropriate.

Projects range from rapid‑response efforts supporting time‑sensitive mission requirements to multi‑year research and development programs focused on advancing the state of the art in RF sensing and signal processing.

This position provides opportunities to conduct hands‑on research, algorithm development, system integration, laboratory experimentation, and field testing. Successful candidates will work directly with technical staff, project teams, and mission sponsors to develop capabilities that transition into operational use.

• Develop and implement advanced digital signal processing algorithms.
• Research RF sensing applications and characterize signals of interest.
• Support the conceptualization, design, and development of RF systems.
• Develop and evaluate signal processing approaches using modeling, simulation, laboratory experimentation, and field testing.
• Analyze experimental and operational data to characterize, validate, and improve system performance.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams to transition new capabilities into deployed systems.
• Interact with customers, stakeholders, and mission sponsors to understand requirements and guide technical solutions.

* Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. This position entails working in a collaborative electronics laboratory environment, utilizing iterative and agile methods to develop capabilities. Additionally, it requires occasional domestic travel.

$117,500 - $235,700

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q clearance and SCI clearance, which may require a polygraph.

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Laboratory skills and knowledge of RF and digital test equipment.
• Knowledge of RF, Digital Communications, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Security systems and principles.
• Ability to work successfully in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, teaming environment.
• Experience in one or more of the following technical areas, with SAR image processing expertise strongly preferred:
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image formation, image processing, image exploitation, and analysis.
• Development and implementation of signal processing,…