Lead Antenna Engineer

Antenna / RF Front-End Engineer (Contract)

About the Role
You'll design the antenna and RF front-end at the heart of a counter-UAV radar sensor — radiating elements, arrays, and feed networks — taking them from concept through EM simulation to measured validation. This is a contract engagement, so you'll need to work independently and contribute quickly. We care most about breadth across antenna design methods on a master's-level foundation; senior experience is a strong plus. You'll have access to high-end measurement facilities — including anechoic-chamber time in Kyiv (paid travel) — to characterize and iterate on real hardware, not just simulate. This is a key role to ensure our first launch cements our reputation in the industry - make your mark with Valkyrie!
What You'll Do
Design and optimize antenna elements and arrays — single-element and phased-array — for mmWave operation
Evaluate tradeoffs across frequency bands and packaging: select the band and topology that best balance range, resolution, aperture size, and environmental performance for a given sensing requirement
Design corporate-fed and series-fed feed networks for phased-array and MIMO systems, controlling amplitude/phase distribution to hit beamforming, sidelobe, and radiation-pattern targets
Prototype and compare integration approaches — substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW), launch-in-package, and alternatives — to find the best fit for compact integration
Model and optimize performance — gain, beamwidth, sidelobe level, VSWR/S11, mutual coupling, scan range, grating-lobe behavior — against sensing requirements
Design MIMO arrays for multi-channel sensing: element spacing, channel isolation, and virtual-aperture formation for angular resolution
Validate designs on the bench (VNA, anechoic/OTA range), correlating measured results against simulation and documenting deviations
Work directly with the DSP and radar-systems engineers we're hiring in parallel — antenna, signal processing, and architecture designed together, not in isolation. You'll have real influence over the system design, not just your own slice
Design to the RF front-end architecture — channel count, transceiver interface, phase coherence — and feed antenna feasibility back as the system evolves
Prepare finished antenna and feed-network designs for handoff: specify antenna-critical constraints and review layout through bring-up

Required Qualifications
Master's in Electrical Engineering, Microwave/RF Engineering, or a closely related field — or equivalent hands-on antenna design experience with the skills below. PhD a plus
Prior work on radar or RF sensing systems, not communications-only antenna work
Hands-on experience across multiple antenna design methodologies: SIW, launch-in-package, phased arrays, MIMO systems, series-fed and corporate-fed networks. Breadth here matters more to us than years
Strong feed-network fundamentals: power dividers, phase shifters, impedance matching, loss/isolation and beam-squint tradeoffs
MATLAB/Simulink for array-factor synthesis, pattern analysis, and beamforming/system-level modeling (e.g. Antenna and Phased Array System Toolboxes)
A track record of carrying designs from concept through simulation, prototyping, and measurement validation — not simulation alone.
Proficiency with EM simulation software (HFSS, CST Microwave Studio, or equivalent)

Preferred / Bonus
Working knowledge of multilayer PCB constraints (stackup, manufacturability) — enough to hand off cleanly to a PCB engineer

Engagement Details
Type: Contract / consulting
Rate: [TBD]
Duration: [TBD]
Location: Remote/HybridHybrid: Temporary travel to Kyiv for on-site testing, heavily preferred (expenses paid) — primarily anechoic-chamber characterization of candidate designs, with possible field testing.

Long-term: Strong performance could lead to an ongoing or permanent role.
Start: ASAP