CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage-domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.ย
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.
Role Overview:ย
CHAOS is seeking a Sr. Principal RF Engineer with deepย expertiseย in RF circuit design to serve as a technical authority for high-reliability RF and microwave electronics used in aerospace and defense applications. This role spans the full product lifecycle, from early architecture and requirements shaping through detailed design, simulation, verification, production support, and fielded system sustainment.ย
The ideal candidate is an internally and externallyย recognizedย RF circuitย technical authorityย who can set technical direction,ย establishย design practices, mentor other engineers, and resolve the most complex RF, microwave, packaging, test, and system integration issues across multiple programs.ย
This is a full-time, on-site position in Hawthorne, CA.ย
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Responsibilities:ย
- Lead design, analysis, prototyping, and tuning of complex RF circuit boards incorporating catalog MMICs, including LNAs, power amplifiers, baluns, filters, mixers, and associated bias and matching networksย
- Lead architecture development andย componentย trade studies to meet system-level RF performance requirements across programs or product linesย
- Set direction for schematics, layouts, and design documentationย in accordance withย customer requirements, aerospace standards, and internal design practicesย
- Serve as technical authority for linear, nonlinear, and electromagnetic simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., HFSS, ADS, AWR, or equivalent)ย
- Guide PCB layout (Altium) and RF stack-up definition, including impedance control, grounding, shielding, and isolation techniquesย
- Lead RF testing and characterization, including integration and troubleshooting at the board, module, and subsystem levelsย
- Set direction for the design and specification of RF test equipment, fixtures, and automationย
- Mentor engineers and drive cross-disciplinary technical alignment across systems, power, digital, mechanical, and software teamsย to ensure RF designs integrate cleanly within larger systemsย
- Serve as technical authority from development through production and post-production, including failure analysis and field supportย
Minimumย Requirements:ย
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineeringย with 15+ years of progressively responsible RF engineering experienceย
- Demonstrated technical leadership developing RF hardware for aerospace, defense, avionics, radar, EW, communications, or space systemsย
- Expert understanding of RF fundamentals, including gain, noise figure, linearity, phase noise, stability, and impedance matchingย
- Hands-on experience leading RF test activities using RF test equipment (e.g., VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters)ย
- Demonstrated ability to lead analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution of complex RF circuit performance issuesย
- Strong attention to detail and ability to set technical direction in fast-paced, development-focused environmentsย
- Ability to obtain andย maintainย a U.S. security clearanceย
Preferred Requirements:ย
- Advanced Degree (MS or PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics,ย Mathematicsย or related disciplineย
- Recognizedย expertiseย with power amplifier design, analysis, and integrationย
- Expertiseย with EMI/EMC considerations for RF systems and compliance with applicable aerospace standardsย
- Experience setting direction for mixed-signal or RF/digital interfacesย
- Expert knowledge of manufacturing considerations for RF hardware, including tolerance analysis and yield driversย
- Experience leading support for production hardware and fielded systemsย
- Experience setting RF PCB layout best practices and design-for-manufacturing considerationsย
- Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-461, or similar aerospace/defense standardsย
- Familiarity with RF antenna design principlesย
Why CHAOS?
- Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
- Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
- Our Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
- Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
- Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices
$190k-260k
The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.ย
Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.
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