Radar Seeker Engineer - Own the RF sensing and target-tracking system behind a next-generation interceptor

El Segundo, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

This role will own the interceptor's radar seeker and RF sensing architecture from early requirements and sensor selection through hardware integration, signal processing, target tracking, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and flight. You will be responsible for the system that allows the vehicle to detect, track, and maintain an accurate target solution throughout the engagement. The work sits at the intersection of radar, RF hardware, signal processing, estimation, embedded software, and guidance. You will work closely with GNC, avionics, software, mechanical, and test engineers to turn seeker measurements into reliable real-time guidance inputs while driving the seeker subsystem from prototype hardware into flight.

About Us

We are a venture-backed defense technology company developing a new class of cost-effective interceptor systems designed for scalable production. The team is small, highly technical, and focused on moving quickly from prototype hardware into ground testing and real-world flight demonstrations. Engineers have significant ownership and work directly across vehicle systems rather than operating within narrow functional boundaries.

Job Duties

• Own the radar seeker subsystem from requirements and architecture through integration, test, and flight
• Lead radar and RF sensor selection based on range, field of regard, resolution, update rate, environmental constraints, and target characteristics
• Define seeker performance requirements and translate engagement-level needs into sensor and processing specifications
• Integrate radar hardware with avionics, flight computers, power systems, antennas, and vehicle structures
• Develop real-time radar signal processing and target-tracking algorithms
• Implement detection, ranging, Doppler processing, filtering, gating, and track-management logic
• Develop algorithms for target discrimination and tracking in cluttered or noisy RF environments
• Convert seeker measurements into target state estimates used by guidance and control systems
• Fuse radar measurements with IMU, GNSS, and onboard navigation estimates
• Develop estimation and prediction algorithms using Kalman filtering or similar techniques
• Own coordinate transformations, timing, synchronization, and latency across the seeker-to-guidance interface
• Work with GNC engineers to develop and validate closed-loop seeker-to-guidance performance
• Characterize radar performance including sensitivity, noise, range resolution, velocity resolution, and detection performance
• Develop seeker calibration, alignment, and boresight procedures
• Build RF and radar test infrastructure for development and verification
• Conduct bench, range, hardware-in-the-loop, ground, and flight testing
• Develop simulated targets and scenarios for closed-loop seeker evaluation
• Analyze test data, investigate anomalies, and drive improvements into hardware and algorithms
• Support seeker integration through thermal, vibration, shock, and other flight-representative environments
• Work directly with vendors and RF hardware suppliers as the seeker architecture evolves

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, computer engineering, robotics, or a related technical discipline
• Strong experience with radar, RF sensing, or related active sensing systems
• Strong understanding of radar fundamentals including range, Doppler, detection, resolution, noise, and signal-to-noise performance
• Experience developing radar signal-processing or target-tracking algorithms
• Strong foundation in digital signal processing, filtering, estimation, and coordinate transformations
• Proficiency with C++ and/or Python for real-time algorithms, analysis, and test
• Experience integrating sensing hardware with embedded or real-time computing systems
• Experience working with RF data, radar measurements, or high-rate sensor streams
• Understanding of target tracking and state estimation techniques
• Hands-on experience testing and debugging radar, RF, or other complex sensing hardware
• Ability to translate sensor performance into vehicle-level guidance and mission requirements
• Comfortable working across hardware, software, avionics, GNC, and test disciplines
• U.S. Person status required

Preferred Experience

• Direct experience developing missile, interceptor, munition, or airborne radar seekers
• Experience with active radar homing or terminal guidance systems
• Familiarity with FMCW, pulse-Doppler, phased-array, AESA, or comparable radar architectures
• Experience with RF front ends, antennas, transceivers, amplifiers, mixers, or frequency-generation hardware
• Experience with radar waveform design and signal-processing chains
• Knowledge of clutter rejection, CFAR detection, Doppler processing, or multi-target tracking
• Experience with EKF, UKF, or other target-state estimation techniques
• Experience integrating seeker outputs into guidance, navigation, and control loops
• Familiarity with embedded DSPs, FPGAs, GPUs, or other accelerated signal-processing hardware
• Experience with SDR platforms and RF development tools
• Familiarity with antenna placement, radomes, RF transparency, EMI/EMC, and vehicle integration constraints
• Experience developing radar hardware-in-the-loop or target simulation environments
• Experience with RF chamber, range, or flight testing
• Familiarity with high-speed aerospace targets, UAV tracking, air-defense systems, or autonomous intercept systems
• Experience developing sensing systems for high-vibration, thermal, shock, or high-dynamic environments
• Previous experience in a startup or rapid hardware development environment

Why Join Us

• Own one of the most mission-critical subsystems on an interceptor from architecture through flight
• Build the sensing system responsible for finding, tracking, and guiding the vehicle toward its target
• Work across radar hardware, RF, signal processing, estimation, avionics, and GNC
• Take seeker technology from bench testing into closed-loop vehicle and flight demonstrations
• Join a small engineering team where individual contributors have significant technical ownership
• Help define a radar seeker architecture designed around performance, cost, and scalable production

Compensation Details

$130,000 - $180,000

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