Associate Staff - RF Engineer (Space Surveillance Systems)
MIT Lincoln Laboratory· Defense· Oct 5, 2026 · 22d ago
Lexington, MA, US
In office
Full-time
Staff
$144K–$212K est.
3+ years exp
Job description
The nation’s satellites perform important civil, scientific, and national defense functions such as navigation, communications, weather forecasting, astronomical observations, and surveillance. As space becomes increasingly congested and contested, maintaining awareness of all man-made objects around the Earth is critical for ensuring the safe and effective operation of U.S. satellites. The Advanced Sensors and Techniques Group develops and operates radio frequency (RF) and electro-optical (EO) sensors and resilient space systems critical to maintaining this awareness of the space domain. We develop and operate some of the world’s most exquisite radar and optical systems from our main campus in Lexington, MA, with additional opportunities at locations including the Lincoln Space Surveillance Complex (LSSC) in Westford, MA, the Experimental Test Site in Socorro, NM, and the U.S. Army Reagan Test Site at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Our team explores novel concepts, develops them into prototypes, and turns those prototypes into impactful operational capabilities. Recent examples include transmitter and receiver upgrades on the world’s most sensitive radars, integration and operation of a state-of-the-art space telescope, development of advanced signal processing techniques, development of fully automated high-resolution image processing capabilities, demonstration of high-precision multi-sensor data fusion, and design and demonstration of long-baseline coherent receive apertures.
Job Description
The Advanced Sensors and Techniques Group is seeking a candidate to help design and build the next generation of advanced radar systems for space surveillance. The successful candidate will work in multi-disciplinary teams of scientists and engineers to prototype and demonstrate innovative concepts leveraging real-world data and access to world-class sensors. Assignments will require the candidate to work independently and in a team environment. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for this role. We are seeking highly motivated, exceptionally bright, and creative individuals with experience developing, testing, and troubleshooting electronics systems who can think broadly, analyze complex problems, implement solutions in a rapid prototyping environment, and who wish to contribute to the development of cutting-edge technology in support of national security.
Occasional travel to support test exercises and/or system integration activities at remote field sites may be required.
Requirements
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or other relevant technical field
• In lieu of a Master's, a Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience will be considered
• Significant professional / academic experience in one or more of the following:
• RF cascade design, analysis, and measurement techniques
• Analog / digital circuit analysis, PCB prototyping and testing
• Antenna, RF, and microwave component integration and testing
• Full wave electromagnetic simulation solvers (e.g. HFSS, CST, FEKO)
• Test procedure design, execution, and briefing of results to stakeholders
• High-speed digital backends including software-defined-radios, RF System-On-Chip
• Demonstrated ability to:
• Work in a multidisciplinary team environment and develop strong working relationships
• Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms
• Solve broad and/or complex technical engineering problems
• Proficiency with scientific programming languages (MATLAB, Python, or similar)
Recent Graduate Hiring Range: $116,400-$140,000
Experienced Hiring Range: $116,400-$182,200
Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including—but not limited to—the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.
At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• MIT-funded pension
• Matching 401K
• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
• Mentorship programs
• A range of work-life balance options
• ... and much more!
Please visit our Benefits page for more information. As an employee of MIT, you can also take advantage of other voluntary benefits, discounts and perks .
Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.
Requisition ID: 43250
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Benefits
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Dental
Vision
401k