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Principal Engineer – TeraWave RF and Optical Systems

Greater Seattle Area💼 Full-time🗓 2026-08-27 → 2026-09-27

Core

Own end-to-end integration, bring-up, and verification strategy for TeraWave's RF and optical communications payloads, user/gateway terminals, and ground segment to prove constellation links work from lab to on-orbit.

Role type

Principal Engineer (RF and Optical Systems Integration & Verification)

Builds

TeraWave satellite communications network (optically interconnected LEO/MEO constellation)

Domain

Aerospace / Satellite Communications / RF & Optical Engineering

Deliverable

production ML models | product features | dashboards & analysis | research | client delivery | infrastructure | physical/clinical work

Required skills

RF system integration, optical link verification, hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) emulation, trade studies, requirements traceability, cross-functional team leadership, anomaly root cause analysis, test automation architecture, constellation dynamics modeling

Preferred skills

Experience with phased-array beam formation, coherent optical transceivers (ACO/DCO), SDN networking, CI/CD pipelines for test engineering, Python/C/C++/MATLAB tooling development

Technologies

CATR, anechoic chambers, GNSS simulators, hexapods, channel emulators, Python, C/C++, MATLAB/Simulink

Responsibilities

Define I&V architecture and verification strategy; lead cross-functional integration campaigns for RF/optical payloads and terminals; direct high-fidelity HITL frameworks replicating orbital dynamics; model constellation geometry and SINR variation; lead anomaly investigations and root cause analyses; define multi-year lab and ground-station infrastructure roadmaps; support on-orbit commissioning and flight operations.

Seniority

Principal, hands-on IC with technical leadership

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