Principal RF Payload Systems Engineer

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Full Time Professional Longmont, CO, Longmont, CO, US

4 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

Vitesse Systems is looking for a
Principal RF Payload Systems Engineer
to join the team in Longmont, Colorado! This position requires a strong technical background in satellite communications payloads, RF systems, spacecraft system engineering, and mission performance analysis. The candidate will serve as a key contributor to payload system development, system‑level trade studies, technical assessments, supplier evaluations, and payload integration activities.

The ideal candidate combines deep RF and payload expertise with strong systems engineering skills and the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams including spacecraft bus, software, mechanical, thermal, electrical, AIT, and mission operations organizations.

Vitesse Systems is a leading provider of highly engineered antenna, thermal management and mission critical solutions used in radar, electronic warfare and C5

ISR applications. No challenge is too difficult for the Vitesse Team. From complex specification driven requirements to precision manufactured components, Vitesse Systems has the experience and expertise needed to execute.

Our core values of Integrity, Initiative, Impact, and Integration translate to an environment where every team member is valued and rewarded. The mission‑critical solutions we design and manufacture at Vitesse make our country and our world safer.

• 3 Weeks of Paid Time Off
• 10 Paid Company Observed Holidays
• Birthday & Anniversary Incentives
• 401K Employer Match
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Company-paid Life Insurance
• Company-paid Short & Long-term Disability
• Continuing Education Reimbursement Program
• Generous Referral Program

The Payload Systems Engineer is responsible for supporting the development of advanced communications payloads for LEO, MEO, and GEO satellite missions. They will work across the full payload lifecycle, from mission concept and requirements development through design, integration, testing, launch, and operations.

• Lead the development and evaluation of advanced communications payload architectures for GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite missions.
• Perform system‑level trade studies involving payload capacity, coverage, spectral efficiency, mass, power, thermal resources, and mission performance.
• Assess the impact of payload design changes on spacecraft resources, mission performance, schedule, and operational concepts.
• Develop payload block diagrams, interface definitions, and subsystem architectures.
• Analyze mission requirements and translate them into technical specifications, system‑level requirements, engineering constraints, and verification plans.
• Support development and maintenance of payload requirements, interface control documents, and compliance matrices.
• Contribute to Concept of Operations (CONOPS) development and mission‑level performance assessments.
• Support requirements verification, validation, and technical baseline management throughout the program lifecycle.
• Participate in major program reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR, FRR, and operational readiness reviews.
• Payload Analysis & Modeling
  • Develop and maintain engineering tools, simulations, and performance models used throughout program execution.
  • Perform payload performance analyses including:
    • EIRP and G/T budgets
    • Link budget analysis
    • Conversion gain and loss budgets
    • Coverage and capacity assessments
  • Build and execute simulations to evaluate payload performance under operational and…