Senior RF Systems Engineer (SDR)

Overview of Opportunity

Two Six Technologies is seeking a Senior RF Systems Engineer to develop software for DSP/SDR systems. Engineers will perform architecture design, software development, testing, analysis, and debugging to support R&D programs in Herndon, Virginia. This role offers a hybrid work. The engineer will have the autonomy to define their toolchains, guide lab build-outs, and select the SDR platforms and software required for the work. The primary focus of this role is RF signal generation, protocol analysis, and signal reverse engineering.

What you will do (Responsibilities):

• Reverse engineer COTS devices to map reception logic, with the objective of generating downlink messages to the device via simulated signals.
• Reverse engineer complex RF protocols, focusing on isolating, analyzing, and decoding Pseudo-Random Noise (PRN) codes.
• Synthesize and generate custom RF waveforms based on reverse-engineered signal parameters.
• Detect, identify, and decode captured RF waveforms and complex communication signals.
• Perform RF signal reception and transmission using various baseline modulation schemes (e.g., FSK, PSK, QAM).
• Implement custom SDR solutions using existing COTS platforms and software in a Linux environment.
• Solve technical challenges in communications, signal collection, data processing, and electronic warfare domains.
• Execute experiments and validate generated signals in laboratory facilities using SDR platforms and RF signal test equipment.
• Provide subject matter expertise in signal generation, RF reverse engineering, and Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams in a rapid prototyping environment.

What you will need (Basic Qualifications):

• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret security clearance (an active clearance is not required to apply).
• Degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or equivalent practical, military, or intelligence community experience.
• Minimum 5 years of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Software Defined Radio (SDR) development experience.
• Extensive experience in RF reverse engineering, including deriving transmission parameters and regenerating target signals.
• Proven ability to generate and synthesize complex RF signals and waveforms.
• Experience in SIGINT, commercial telecom, cellular, or general communications systems development and testing.
• Ability to architect and implement digital signal processing and SDR solutions, with an emphasis on software and algorithmic implementations.

Nice if you have (Preferred):

• Familiarity with the signal structures, modulations, and protocols of space-based systems (e.g., GPS L1/L2, GNSS, SATCOM).
• Experience working with space-dominant modulations like QBPSK and BOC (Binary Offset Carrier).
• Experience with Ghidra and firmware reverse engineering.
• Deep understanding of digital communication concepts, including Forward Error Correction (FEC), Viterbi and Reed-Solomon decoding, interleaving, and framing analysis.
• Experience with satellite simulation software (e.g., AGI STK) or practical knowledge of handling space-related signal phenomena, such as extreme Doppler shift mitigation.

Security Clearance:

• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret security clearance (an active clearance is not required to apply).
• Active DoD Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance is preferred.

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