RF System Integration Engineer

AST Space Mobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected.

We are seeking a highly hands‑on RF Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Engineer to execute, integrate, test, and debug flight RF hardware supporting a fast‑paced LEO satellite program at AST Space Mobile.

This is a hardware‑centric execution role. The selected candidate will personally build, integrate, verify, troubleshoot, and support RF systems from bench validation through launch operations. You will partner directly with TT&C and GPS design leads who own system architecture and requirements, translating released designs into robust, flight‑ready hardware.

This is not a documentation or coordination position — it is a build, test, and fix role.

• Execute integration and verification testing for TT&C and GPS flight hardware.
• Own hands‑on integration and test of:
  • Flight radios and transceivers
  • Flight antennas
  • RF harnessing and coaxial assemblies
  • AIT RF racks and ground support equipment (GSE)
• Work directly from released schematics, ICDs, and mechanical interfaces.
• Verify RF performance margins, interface integrity, and system compliance through empirical hardware testing and data analysis.

• Personally drive RF hardware build, inspection, integration, and rework activities.
• Fabricate, inspect, and validate:
  • Coaxial cable assemblies
  • Connector terminations (SMA, TNC, N‑type, etc.)
  • Harness routing, clamping, torque application, and strain relief implementation
• Maintain active presence on the manufacturing floor during hardware builds.
• Partner with manufacturing engineers and technicians to ensure workmanship standards.
• Identify and arrest integration escapes, workmanship defects, and latent hardware risks before propagation.

• Design, assemble, and sustain AIT RF racks and associated test infrastructure.
• Execute and continuously improve:
  • RF functional testing
  • End‑to‑end TT&C and navigation test configurations
  • Return loss, insertion loss, isolation, power output, and sensitivity measurements
• Develop and maintain RF test automation:
  • Automate repetitive RF test sequences and structured data capture
  • Improve repeatability, throughput, and configuration traceability
• Support environmental and system‑level testing including:
  • Thermal vacuum (TVAC)
  • Vibration
  • Thermal cycling
  • Spacecraft integrated testing
• Own RF anomaly resolution:
  • Debug harness, connector, and integration defects
  • Identify workmanship‑induced damage
  • Isolate EMI/RFI coupling issues under schedule pressure
• When hardware fails during test, personally execute root cause isolation and corrective rework.

• Execute formal acceptance testing per released procedures and qualification requirements.
• Review test data packages, close discrepancy reports, and verify flight readiness.
• Support launch site operations, including last‑minute RF troubleshooting and configuration validation.

• RF hardware integrates cleanly and predictably in AIT.
• Issues are identified early, debugged efficiently, and closed with permanent corrective action.
• RF systems perform consistently from bench validation → environmental test → launch → orbit.
• You can point to the spacecraft and confidently state: “I built and tested that system.”

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated hands‑on RF experience.

• Strong practical RF experience across common TT&C frequency bands.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with:
  • RF assemblies and coax harness fabrication
  • Antennas and RF subsystems
  • RF test equipment (VNA, spectrum analyzer, power meters, signal generators)
• Experience supporting AIT, environmental test campaigns, and…