Job Description

Director Of Hardware Engineering - Radar/RF

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Description As the Director of Hardware Engineering, you will lead the design, development, qualification, and deployment of our scalable, electronicallysteered radar for advanced spaceborne ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) missions. You will lead development of missioncritical hardware across RF/antenna systems, highspeed digital, mixedsignal electronics, power electronics, and mechanical/thermal packaging, taking products from concept through flight. You will guide multidisciplinary teams to deliver highperformance compliant hardware in harsh LEO (LowEarth orbit) environments, ensuring technical excellence, schedule and budget accountability, and seamless integration with spacecraft bus partners. You shall exhibit deep technical depth and apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts. The ideal candidate must have the drive and experience to complete projects independently and on aggressive timelines.

Role

• Lead the definition of hardware system architecture for electronicallysteered radar subsystems including electronically steered antennas, RF frontends, power electronics, highspeed digital and mixedsignal electronics, and embedded processing hardware.
• Direct full product lifecycle execution: requirements, architecture, detailed design, prototype build, environmental/radiation/EMIEMC qualification, manufacturing introduction and spacecraft integration.
• Recruit, hire, manage and mentor crossdisciplinary engineering teams, guiding execution, staffing, team growth, and culture of ownership and innovation.
• Partner closely with system engineering, software/firmware, GNC, payload/instrument, and operations to ensure coherent hardwaresoftware interaction, robust performance, and smooth delivery.
• Own hardware V&V and TRLadvancement strategy: signal/power integrity analysis, reliability modeling, and environmental testing (thermal, vibration, shock, vacuum, EMI/EMC, radiation).
• Proactively collaborate with Program Management Office to manage schedules, budgets, risk mitigation, and resource plans to meet mission performance and reliability targets.
• In conjunction with Program Management Office, drive manufacturability, cost efficiency, and quality through DFX (Design for Excellence) principles and NPI handoff to production partners.
• Support engagement with customers, suppliers, and subcontractors throughout the product development life cycle.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS, or PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent discipline.
• Must be eligible to obtain and hold a US DoD security clearance (TS with SCI).
• 4-5+ years in leadership/management of engineering teams across hardware disciplines.
• Significant experience developing missioncritical hardware for space and/or defense environments.
• Significant experience as a principallevel individual contributor working with multidisciplinary engineering teams delivering complex spaceborne hardware.
• Technical depth in RF/Microwave, Antenna systems, Radar, highspeed digital and mixedsignal electronics and power electronics.
• Experience with PCB design, EMI/EMC practices, and mechanical/thermal packaging for highreliability hardware.
• Proven success qualifying hardware for environmental and radiation conditions and supporting spacecraft/field deployments.
• Demonstrated understanding of program planning, budget control, schedule execution, risk management, and crossfunctional resource management.
• Excellent communication skills, with ability to present to leadership and collaborate with customers and suppliers.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with electronicallysteered or phasedarray radar systems, including beamsteering, calibration approaches and general space reliability.
• Familiarity with spacequalified component engineering, radiationtolerant design tradeoffs and COTStospace conversion strategies.
• Familiarity with modeling and simulation tools for RF/antenna, signal/power integrity, thermal/structural analyses.
• Experience with acceptance and qualification test of space rated hardware and related standards such as SMCS016, GSFCSTD7000, MILSTD461.
• Experience in defense contracting environments or ISR/targettracking radar missions.
• Exposure to hardware manufacturing scaling, DFM for highvolume production, or lean development practices.
• Experience collaborating across global supply chains and managing subcontractors.

Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Seattle, WA.

Pay And Benefits
The pay range for this position is $198000.00 - $242000.00/yr.
In addition to base pay, fulltime roles include competitive equity grants that reward innovation, impact, and longterm growth.

Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Seattle,WA.

Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Dec 30, 2025.

About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

• Business Consulting and Services

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