Communications and Signal Processing Engineer

Department Summary

MITRE operates Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) in support of various U.S. Government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, and others. Our sponsors rely on a wide range of wireless communications systems, including commercial radios, cellular technologies, satellite communications, tactical data links, and other mission‑critical systems. We assess, design, analyze, prototype, and test advanced communications technologies to further the public good.

You will help shape the next generation of resilient wireless communications for U.S. Government sponsors, including strategic and national‑level command and control communications and other mission‑assured systems. You will apply your expertise in digital signal processing (DSP), wireless systems, and networking‑aware architectures to develop, evaluate, and prototype innovative solutions for contested and degraded environments. Those activities will include one or more of following:

• Develop novel DSP and signal processing algorithms to improve signal detection and classification in congested, contested, and denied environments
• Design and implement PHY/baseband algorithms (e.g., OFDM, MIMO, beamforming, advanced channel coding) for modern wireless systems
• Evaluate different MIMO transmission schemes and beamforming approaches for throughput, interference management, and robustness
• Conduct theoretical analysis to assess the performance of novel geolocation and direction‑finding techniques
• Design and prototype waveforms for challenging channels (e.g., long‑haul, beyond‑line‑of‑sight, high‑dynamics, and fading environments)
• Work with advanced wireless and SATCOM technologies (5G/6G, LTE, Wi‑Fi, tactical data links, protected SATCOM, VLF/HF/UHF/EHF systems, beyond‑line‑of‑sight communications)
• Prototype, modify, and integrate open‑source tools to demonstrate new application areas (e.g., GNU Radio, USRP‑based SDR testbeds)
• Apply machine learning and AI techniques to RF and baseband data for tasks such as signal classification, interference mitigation, RF fingerprinting, and adaptive waveform/beamforming optimization
• Support communications systems development and analysis by designing and analyzing components such as synchronization, forward error correction (LDPC, Turbo, convolutional codes), spread spectrum, medium access control, channel equalization, and interference cancellation
• Perform system performance analysis and RF laboratory testing (RF front‑end characterization, spectrum analysis, over‑the‑air testing)
• Analyze and improve communications architectures that support command, control, and communications (C3) and C4
  
  ISR mission threads, with a focus on assured, survivable, and secure communications
• Apply anti‑jam, low probability of intercept/low probability of detection (LPI/LPD), and resilience techniques to strategic and mission‑critical communication links
• Integrate physical‑layer and RF solutions into end‑to‑end architectures that interface with IP‑based networks and higher‑layer protocols (e.g., IP, TCP/UDP, routing, QoS considerations)
• Use software‑defined radios (e.g., USRP/GNU Radio) and tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and C/C++ to implement communication protocols and perform signal analysis

• Demonstrate strong technical acumen in communications, DSP, and wireless systems
• Collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and government stakeholders
• Take initiative in owning technical tasking and enjoy mentoring early‑career engineers
• Communicate clearly in both written and oral formats

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Experience with simulation and analysis tools such as MATLAB or Python
• Technical background in at least one of the following areas: detection and estimation theory; waveform design, modulation theory, error control coding, information theory; stochastic processes, propagation, channel estimation and equalization; receiver design,…