Immediate Start Principal RF Electronics Engineer

Overview

Work with cutting edge technology, making the world a safer and more secure place. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) offers an opportunity to solve some of world’s most challenging technical problems in the Electronic Warfare, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, RF sensing, Sensor Fusion and distributed systems. Working with high profile customers across militaries, government agencies, airports, critical infrastructure, law enforcement and many others.

With one of the largest listed defence company market capitalisations in Australia and having raised approximately $250m in 2024 alone, DroneShield is undergoing hypergrowth stage, fuelled by rapidly increasing use of drones for nefarious applications, from battlefield, to terrorism, to contraband delivery and commercial espionage.

This role is in the DroneShield Sydney headquarters in Pyrmont, Sydney. There are approximately 250 staff based in the 4,000sqm facility today, scheduled to grow to approximately 300 staff by end of 2026. Overseas on the ground presence includes Virginia (USA), Denmark, Germany and Dubai, as well as distributors in over 70 countries globally.

About the role

DroneShield is seeking a Principal RF Electronics Engineer with relevant experience to join the team in Sydney, Australia.

The position will report to the Electronics Team lead within product development.

The Product Development Team at Droneshield is focused on providing fully operational and qualified modular devices to enable new product development of high-end RF based sensors and effectors. These modules are re-used across various product configurations including man-portable, vehicle mounted and fixed site. Key technical challenges for the electronics aspect of these modules include the design of complex wide-band RF circuitry, high speed digital interface and high-power radio frequency output. DroneShield designs and builds the full signal chain from signal generation to antenna.

Responsibilities, Duties and Expectations

- Lead the team on the RF Electronic Architecture and work on the core of Droneshields technology for accuracy, performance stability and maintenance.

- Self-management of workload, methods and workflow to meet key business objectives.

- Schematic and PCB design using Altium, including contribution to component database and document templates.

- Expert knowledge with test equipment for validation of high-speed digital and RF interfaces, including training younger engineers for correct usage.

- Manufacturing test specification design and support for production setup & debugging.

- Hardware design validation planning and execution on both a modular and system level.

- Employing and developing sound industry practices for documentation and QC.

- Leading manufacturing test specification design and support for production setup & debugging.

- Mentoring and training of junior engineers

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

- Degree in Electronics Engineering, similar technical field of study or equivalent practical experience.

- Minimum of 15 years’ experience in RF hardware design, test and production support.

- Seasoned experience using benchtop test equipment such as VNA’s, spectrum analyser and signal generators.

- Experience in mentoring less experienced engineers.

- Simulation experience using Microwave Office, ADS or similar.

- Solid knowledge of link budget estimation and communications theory

- Expert knowledge for receiver sensitivity principles such as cascaded noise figure, dynamic range and noise floor degradation

- Significant experience in SCH and PCB design using Altium.

- Substantial RF hardware design theory and experience. Isolation, matching networks, filter specifications.

- Experience in design of high-power RF amplifiers and linearization techniques

- Experience in hardware design principles for battery power device applications.

- Theoretical and practical understanding of PCB layout techniques for high-speed digital and RF circuitry.

- Familiarity of applicable global and local radio standards for intentional radiators.

- Significant experience and working knowledge of Antennas.

Desirable experiences and skills

- Leading projects or initiatives within a company environment

- Hardware design with integrated antennas.

- RF filter specification and selection. Significant Design experience is expected.

- RF power amplifier design experience combined with implementing heat management principles.

- Experience architecting and developing transmitter RF front-end design up to 12 GHz and 100 W.

- Experience architecting and developing receiver RF front-end design up to 10 GHz including filter, diplexer, splitters, and LNA.

- Component specification for RF components such as power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, solid-state switches, power dividers/combiners, couplers

- Software Defined Radio design experience is highly desirable.

- Knowledge of mainstream RF modulation techniques.

- Knowledge and experience working with Multi-carrier combining.

- Significant Antenna design would be an advantage.

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