Senior Antenna Design Engineer for Satellite User Terminal

As a Senior Antenna Design Engineer, you will own the end-to-end design, simulation, and validation of advanced antenna systems for E-Space’s LEO satellite constellation and ground infrastructure. You are expected to independently design antennas using full-wave electromagnetic simulation tools, with HFSS as a primary design environment, and drive designs from concept through hardware validation.
 
On-site in California or Texas. Some travel between sites may be required.

What you will do:

- Own user-terminal antenna designs from requirements and concept development through simulation, prototyping, validation, and production release.

- Develop compact, low-profile, embedded, multiband, dual-band, or wideband antennas for satellite communication terminals.

- Translate link-budget and system requirements into antenna specifications, including frequency coverage, realized gain, efficiency, polarization, axial ratio, radiation pattern, return loss, bandwidth, and coverage.

- Perform antenna trade studies involving size, bandwidth, efficiency, gain, polarization, ground-plane dependence, terminal orientation, and installation constraints.

- Design antenna radiators, feeds, matching networks, baluns, hybrids, polarization networks, and other passive RF structures.

- Develop circularly polarized or linearly polarized antenna solutions based on system requirements.

- Conduct full-wave electromagnetic simulations using Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, Altair FEKO, or equivalent tools.

- Integrate antennas with the terminal enclosure, PCB, ground structure, radome, cables, batteries, displays, processors, and other nearby electronics.

- Evaluate detuning, blockage, user interaction, cable coupling, enclosure effects, manufacturing tolerances, and material-property variation.

- Plan and perform antenna measurements using VNAs, anechoic chambers, near-field or far-field ranges, and over-the-air test systems.

- Correlate simulation with measured performance and resolve discrepancies through structured, data-driven troubleshooting.

- Support antenna tuning, design-for-manufacturing reviews, tolerance analysis, supplier interaction, and production validation.

- Develop environmental verification plans addressing temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, outdoor exposure, and other applicable user-terminal conditions.

- Document requirements, analyses, design decisions, test procedures, results, and technical risks.

- Collaborate with RF front-end, modem, baseband, firmware, mechanical, thermal, test, manufacturing, regulatory, and systems teams.

- Mentor engineers and help establish repeatable antenna design and verification practices.

Required qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, electromagnetics, applied physics, or a related field.

- Typically 7 or more years of hands-on antenna design and development experience.

- Demonstrated experience designing compact or electrically small antennas for size-constrained products.

- Strong understanding of antenna theory, impedance matching, radiation patterns, polarization, efficiency, bandwidth, and near-field coupling.

- Hands-on experience with at least one full-wave electromagnetic simulation tool, such as HFSS, CST, or FEKO.

- Experience taking an antenna design from simulation through prototype fabrication and measured validation.

- Experience operating VNAs and performing antenna-pattern, gain, efficiency, polarization, and return-loss measurements.

- Ability to diagnose differences between predicted and measured antenna performance.

- Experience integrating antennas into mechanically and electrically complex products.

- Strong technical communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

- Strong knowledge and understanding of satellite communication systems, with the ability to derive detailed technical requirements from high-level objectives and system direction.

Preferred qualifications:

- Experience with satellite communication terminals, IoT terminals, portable radios, GNSS, cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other compact wireless products.

- Experience with circularly polarized, dual-band, multiband, broadband, spiral, crossed-dipole, patch, helix, monopole, or inverted-F antennas.

- Understanding of satellite link budgets, polarization mismatch, multipath, terminal orientation, and coverage requirements.

- Experience with antenna matching and tuning in the presence of production tolerances and enclosure variation.

- Familiarity with outdoor-terminal regulatory, EMC, RF-exposure, and environmental requirements.

- Experience transferring antenna designs into medium- or high-volume production.

- Phased-array antenna/RFFE experience is beneficial.

Additional Requirements

This is a fast-paced, high-impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.

Why E-Space is right for you:

As a member of our team, you will play a crucial role in driving our success.  Our team members have a strong sense of dedication and responsibility; this includes a strong commitment to our mission to create an entirely new suite of global capabilities to improve lives, business efficiencies and build a smarter planet. This means that there will be times when extra hours, including nights and weekends, may be needed to meet critical deadlines and mission goals.  In return, we offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and the chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth industry.

We want you to make the most of your journey at E-Space. That’s why we support and invest in the physical, emotional and financial well-being of our team members and their families. Some of what you can expect when working at E-Space:

• An opportunity to really make a difference
• Sustainability at our core
• Fair and honest workplace
• Innovative thinking is encouraged
• Competitive salaries
• Continuous learning and development
• Health and wellness care options
• Financial solutions for the future
• Optional legal services (US only)
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off

This is a full time, exempt position, based out of our Arlington, TX facility.  The target base pay for this position is $160,000 - $195,000 annually.  The total compensation packaged will be determined by various factors such as your relevant job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. 
 
We are redefining how satellites are designed, manufactured and used—so we’re looking for candidates with passion, deep knowledge and direct experience on LEO satellite component development, design and in-orbit activities. If that’s your experience – then we’ll be immediately wow-ed.
 
E-Space is not currently able to provide employment sponsorship for candidates who do not hold work authorization for the location of this role.