Senior RF Engineer

About the Role:  

Planet is working on the next generation small satellite bus that will host a high resolution optical imaging payload (Pelican) and a hyperspectral payload (Carbon Mapper). Planet has continuously iterated and developed small spacecraft communication systems including board level hardware, antennas, and ground station equipment that produce record data rates. Our system consists of transceivers in several bands, as well as a worldwide network of ground stations.  

We are seeking an experienced RF and Microwave Engineer to develop our next-generation onboard, ground radios and antenna systems that push the frontiers of satellite communications. You will make evolutionary and revolutionary improvements in their performance, reliability, and cost, including the architecture, design and test of next-generation S-band through Ka-band radios and a variety of antennas, as well as work with vendors on various design projects. You will be responsible for PCB layout projects and interface with cross functional teams - electrical, software and mechanical engineers to address challenging design issues. You will conduct environmental and EMC testing on communication subsystems and get them ready for flight. You will work closely with systems engineering, missions, and manufacturing teams to ensure mission success.

This role will require you to be physically present at our headquarters in San Francisco, CA, 3 days a week.

Impact You’ll Own:

• RF/MW hardware transceiver and circuit design up to 30GHz, simulation (Spice, ADS), instrumentation, test and characterization
• RF/MW system design, link budgets, and interference analysis
• EMI testing and mitigation
• Antenna design, simulation and testing (ADS, HFSS)
• Digital communications theory and associated signal processing algorithms for both narrowband and wideband data transmission systems
• Software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms and respective signal processing libraries (ex.: GNURadio)
• Validation and Verification of radios and antennas pre-shipment and validation of radio performance on orbit after satellite launch

What You Bring:

• BSEE is required, MS/PhD preferred
• 6+ years of engineering excellence designing and maturing RF & MW systems, transceivers, antennas and/or SDRs to market, ability to review low-level design decisions and understand their impact to the larger system/mission
• Sound fundamentals in RF/MW, electromagnetics and signal processing
• Proven track record of owning, designing and criticizing RF/MW circuit design, RF/MW layout, component selection and evaluation
• Extensive lab experience with RF/MW and mixed-signal board bring up, characterization and test using various RF, MW, Analog and Digital test equipment
• Proven ability to adapt and learn a multitude of skills in order to develop/contribute to the design of complex systems including, but not limited to: Active RF circuits, integrated transceivers, PLL synthesizers, mixers, switches, RF amplifiers, oscillators, detectors, filters, A/D and D/A converters, microprocessors and FPGAs for space and ground station applications
• Excellent documentation, presentation and communication skills

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience with Altium or similar EDA tools, high-density mixed-signal PCB design, high speed clock trees
• Knowledge of digital communications theory and associated signal processing algorithms for both narrowband and wideband data transmission systems 
• Experience in Linux, Python, and data analysis tools
• Comfortable working in an agile, fast-paced environment 
• Proven ability to provide solutions to address and unblock dynamic situations
• Understanding of cross-team dependencies including electrical, software, mechanical, thermal, structural, manufacturing and Space environmental

Benefits While Working at Planet*:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off 
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Remote-friendly work environment 
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

*These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy

EAR/ITAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is $144,500 - $180,600.  Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location.  The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only.  Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

This position requires access to export controlled technology, and as such, employment will be contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access EAR and/or ITAR controlled technology pursuant to an export license approved by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, if required.