Applied Electromagnetic​/RF Research and Development Engineer

Application Instructions

Current Penn State employee (faculty, staff, technical service, or student) – log in to Workday to apply internally. Current Penn State student (not previously employed) – log in to Workday for the student application process. Non‑employees or non‑students – click "Apply" and complete the external applicant process.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

We are seeking an Applied Electromagnetic/RF Research and Development Engineer to join the Spectrum and Signature Solutions team of the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. The unit supports the spectrum convergence mission space, providing strategic and operational advantages for the warfighter and defending national interests across the vehicle domain.

ARL is an authorized DoD Skill Bridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

• Oversee sensitive research and development focused on applied electromagnetics as a Principal Investigator (PI).
• Provide technical knowledge within the laboratory, develop concepts, and oversee sensitive research and development.
• Provide knowledge in RF/microwave engineering for ground, air and sea‑based operations.
• Contribute to solutions for the automation/control of RF instrumentation.
• Conduct RF/microwave lab‑based and in‑the‑field measurements and experimentation.
• Facilitate measurements at outdoor test ranges, anechoic chambers, and EMC chambers.
• Assess and validate state‑of‑the‑art RF systems and solutions from the Defense Industrial Base.
• Assist with field‑measurement setups and test plans.
• Occasional travel per sponsor and program requirements.

• Develop program management plans from the technical perspective and produce technical documents that satisfy stakeholder requirements and expectations.
• Lead engineers in day‑to‑day tasking to accomplish programmatic deliverables and develop and present project/program status reports.
• Provide technical leadership within the laboratory in applied electromagnetics research.
• Facilitate relationships across the DoD and the IC, moving technologies from fundamental research to applied solutions.
• Perform the role of Trusted Agent to the government to assess and validate state‑of‑the‑art RF systems and solutions from the Defense Industrial Base.

• Hands‑on experience with RF/microwave instrumentation: network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, antenna measurements, EMI/EMC measurements.
• Hands‑on experience troubleshooting RF systems in‑lab and in‑field.
• Familiarity with MATLAB and/or Python for instrument control and data analysis.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Excellent report‑writing capabilities.
• RF/microwave engineering for ground, air, and sea‑based operations.
• Electromagnetic simulation tools such as CST Microwave Studio or REMCOM XFdtd.

• Familiarity with radar systems and hardware.
• Familiarity with antenna design, simulation, and prototyping.
• Familiarity with RF/microwave materials characterization measurement and instrumentation.
• Active DoD SECRET (or higher) clearance.
• A Master’s degree or PhD.

• Research & Development Engineer – Signal Processing (ARL) – Senior Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science, 14+ years of relevant experience, no required certifications.
• Research & Development Engineer – Signal Processing (ARL) – Advanced Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science, 5+ years of relevant experience, no required certifications.
• Research & Development Engineer – Signal Processing (ARL) – Intermediate Professional:
  Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or Science, 2+ years of relevant experience, no required certifications.

ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intel…