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Breakthrough Energy Ventures Portfolio Company Career Opportunities

RF Systems Lead

Stoke Space

Stoke Space

Kent, WA, USA
Posted on Friday, December 16, 2022

A thriving economy in space is needed to make life on Earth more vibrant, sustainable, and equitable. Space technology will enable global access to information, solutions to climate change, answers to global food security, products that transform healthcare, clean energy production, and more. Today, rocket launch options are slow, expensive, and unreliable. Stoke is building the world’s most efficient fully and rapidly reusable rocket designed to fly daily that will radically increase access to space and open up the space economy to safeguard our precious home, Earth.

Description

The avionics system is the backbone of highly reusable, operable, and reliable space systems. As the RF Lead at an early-stage start-up you will be responsible for owning the entire RF system from vehicle to ground. You will work closely with the rest of the development team and other stakeholders to implement the RF system architecture, capture requirements, procure components, develop custom hardware, define and perform component and system-level tests, integrate the RF system into the avionics package, and continuously iterate and improve your designs. You will seek out state-of-the-art solutions to difficult problems and you will assist in the definition of company standards for avionics development. You must be ready to stay focused, move fast, self-direct, and learn on the fly.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design, development, and integration of vehicle and ground RF communication systems
  • Own system integration, test, and operation of Stoke's RF equipment:
    • Telemetry and control
    • GPS/GNSS
    • Radar ranging
  • Design specifications and lead “design vs procure” trades to enable rapid product iteration
  • Stand up ground-based antenna systems for tracking, telemetry, and control
  • Collaborate with government agencies to procure spectrum licenses and range authorization
  • Work with software engineers to implement encoding / decoding schemes for vehicle telemetry and control
  • Develop and maintain link budgets
  • Conduct radiated emissions / EMI testing where required
  • Design and conduct qualification testing plans for all hardware
  • Coordinate with GNC engineers to ensure link margins are maintained through every phase of vehicle flight

Qualifications

  • B.S. degree in electrical engineering or equivalent on the job experience
  • 5+ years of experience as an RF engineer or related role
  • Fundamental understanding of RF systems design from the component level up
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Rigorous attention to detail
  • Ability to lead
  • Ability to follow

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance
  • 401(k)
  • Paid time off
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Meaningful equity

Compensation

Target Level:

  • Level 3 Range: $120,900 - $181,300

Our job posts are intentionally written to attract a wide variety of experience levels, and we make decisions about the right fit on a per-candidate basis.

Your actual level and base salary will be decided based on your specific experience and skill level.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.