SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Engineering Manager for RF Hardware to lead a growing team developing high-performance electronics for satellite, UAV, and launch vehicle communication systems. This is a deeply technical management role focused on leading 8–12 RF hardware engineers (initially distributed across Austin, Westminster, and El Segundo) while staying close to the engineering through technical guidance, design reviews, mentorship, and critical debug.
Key Responsibilities:
- Maintain technical integrity and engineering excellence for board-level RF electronics development across the company.
- Establish, mature, and scale RF hardware development processes, including signal chain design, simulation, and PCB standards for dense, high-layer-count boards.
- Provide detailed technical review and mentorship through architecture and design reviews; identify design risks early and ensure appropriate cross-disciplinary engagement (digital, RF, power, firmware, mechanical).
- Occasionally contribute directly to RF designs to close gaps in high-risk or schedule-critical programs.
- Lead or support complex debug efforts involving RF electronics.
- Ensure RF hardware designs are buildable and testable at scale using DFM and DFT best practices.
- Drive disciplined handoff from engineering to manufacturing through collaboration with manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and production test.
- Ensure designs meet quality, reliability, and scalability requirements for aerospace and defense production.
- Partner with Supply Chain on component availability, lifecycle risk mitigation, and cost awareness.
- Drive design reuse, modular architectures, and platform commonality across products.
- Build, scale, and lead a high-performing RF hardware engineering team.
- Lead hiring, performance management, career development, coaching, and succession planning.
- Provide one-on-one coaching and deep technical guidance.
- Plan and manage budgets for staffing, lab equipment, capital equipment, and design/simulation software.
- Maintain strong working relationships across Engineering, Quality, and Operations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering required.
- Minimum 9 years of direct board-level RF hardware engineering experience, preferably in aerospace environments.
- 2–5 years of small-team technical leadership or engineering management experience preferred but not required.
- Demonstrated deep expertise in RF board design, including strong working knowledge of digital and power electronics.
- Experience supporting design for manufacturability (DFM), design for test (DFT), and transition from development to production.
- Proven ability to conduct rigorous technical reviews, mentor engineers, and communicate effectively across disciplines.
- Ability to balance rigor with execution speed in a fast-paced development environment.
- Proficiency with RF simulation and analysis tools such as Pathwave System Design (SystemVue), RF Synthesis (Genesys), and HFSS.
- Deep hands-on experience with schematic capture and PCB layout tools such as Altium.
- Strong technical and non-technical communication skills.
Note: Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, refugee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State due to space technology export regulations.
