1

Principal Rf Engineer Jobs in Maryland (NOW HIRING)

Principal, RF Engineering (Level 6)

MD · On-site

$170K - $190K/yr

Individual RF/MW design contributor and lead engineer for key design projects. * Make technical presentations to customers to support design review requirements. * Will provide technical support for ...

Showing results 41-60

Principal Rf Engineer information

See Maryland salary details

$71.8K

$142.9K

$206.2K

How much do principal rf engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal rf engineer in Maryland is $142,883.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $115,000.00 and $167,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a principal RF engineer?

A Principal RF Engineer is a senior-level engineering professional responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing radio frequency (RF) systems and components. They lead complex RF projects, analyze system performance, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. This role typically involves mentoring junior engineers, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and solving technical challenges related to wireless communication, antenna design, or signal propagation. Principal RF Engineers work in industries such as telecommunications, aerospace, and defense to enhance wireless networks and communication systems.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a principal RF engineer?

As a Principal RF Engineer, you can expect to spend your days designing and optimizing RF circuits and systems, conducting simulations and testing prototypes, and troubleshooting performance issues. You’ll frequently collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware designers, software engineers, and project managers, to ensure seamless integration of RF components within larger systems. Additionally, you may mentor junior engineers, review technical documentation, and contribute to strategy discussions for new product initiatives. This dynamic role combines technical expertise with leadership and teamwork, offering both hands-on and strategic responsibilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the principal RF engineer position, and why are they important?

To excel as a Principal RF Engineer, extensive knowledge of radio frequency (RF) design, system integration, and a degree in electrical engineering or related field are essential. Experience with RF simulation tools (such as HFSS, ADS, or CST), familiarity with spectrum analyzers, and relevant certifications like the IEEE Wireless Communication certification are commonly expected. Exceptional problem-solving abilities, leadership, and clear communication skills help drive projects and support multidisciplinary collaboration. These attributes ensure successful RF system development, effective project leadership, and seamless integration of complex technologies in demanding environments.

What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Rf Engineer jobs in Maryland?

The most popular types of Principal Rf Engineer jobs in Maryland are:

What job categories do people searching Principal Rf Engineer jobs in Maryland look for?

The top searched job categories for Principal Rf Engineer jobs in Maryland are:

Infographic showing various Principal Rf Engineer job openings in Maryland as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $142,883 per year, or $68.7 per hour.

Principal/Sr. Principal RF Microwave/Mixed Signal Design Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Baltimore, MD • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Posted 29 days ago


Northrop Grumman rating

8.2

Company rating: 8.2 out of 10

Based on 364 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

89th of 542 rated manufacturers


Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: Interim SecretTRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescriptionAt Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector delivers a decisive advantage to its customers through software-defined, hardware-enabled solutions. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) in Linthicum enables these hardware solutions by providing RF microwave and mixed signal architecture, design, verification, and support expertise across a wide variety electronic sensor products. Our engineers work on complex, leading edge, high reliability electronics supporting maritime, ground, airborne, and space platforms.

NGMS engineers share a great sense of pride knowing their contributions have a direct effect on the safety and security of the country and its allies. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, teamwork, and bringing your whole self to work to accomplish the mission while learning and having fun along the way. The Mission Sector Engineering and Sciences (MS E&S) organization is fertile ground for all experience levels to become part of our growing team and contribute to our goals. The department offers opportunities to grow on a technical track both broad and deep as well as explore project leadership or management positions.

MS E&S is seeking engineers with experience and interest in electronic assembly and packaging design including:

  • Designing, modeling, and verifying RF and mixed signal assembly product types including apertures, radome, circulators/isolators, Transmit/Receive modules and switches, interposer assemblies, filters, RF manifolds/splitters, backplanes, beamformers, and other relevant RF building blocks within RF antenna subsystem.
  • Designing, modeling, and verifying RF and mixed signal subsystems products including Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) and other RF Subsystem products within an electronic sensor system like a Radar.
  • Using industry design tools for modeling and simulating RF and mixed signal performance. Tools include but are not limited to: ANSYS EM Suite, CST Microwave, Keysight ADS, Genesys, Matlab/Simulink, Xpedition, DXDesigner, TICRA/GRASP, FEKO, Python/C++/C#, Github, Labview.
  • RF and mixed signal hardware test planning and test specification creation
  • RF and mixed signal hardware production follow, engineering troubleshoot and sustainment engineering.
  • Prototyping RF and mixed signal hardware with standard RF test equipment such as RF lab equipment such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, digital oscilloscopes, signal generators, phase noise test sets, and power meters.
  • Antenna measurements using anechoic chambers and antenna range test equipment.
  • Deriving and trading requirements from antenna subsystem-level down through component levels.
  • Managing RF budgets, frequency planning, and common assembly level interfaces.
  • Predicting assembly level performance through selecting materials, components, and packaging approaches, RF chain analysis, electromagnetic simulation, data collection and analysis, and other modeling techniques
  • Collaborating with peer functions such as Mechanical, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Test Design.
  • Utilizing world class manufacturing capabilities both on-site and within the broader company for prototyping through full-rate production from the foundry level to microelectronic packaging to printed circuit board fabrication and assembly to subsystem level integration and test
  • Working directly with a wide variety of different external supplier partners including leading domestic foundries, printed circuit board fabricators and assemblers, component manufacturers, material fabricators, and more
  • Supporting products throughout the product life cycle

These roles are contingent upon Program Award.

This requisition can be filled at either the T03 or T4 level based on the below requirements.

T03 Principal Engineer Basic Qualifications:

  • Electrical Engineering or related STEM field degree: Bachelor of Science with 5 years of RF/microwave experience; Master's degree with 3 years of RF/microwave experience; or PhD degree
  • US Citizenship is required
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance
  • Proven knowledge of electrical engineering design software and equipment
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Productive in a team working environment

T04 Senior Principal Engineer Basic Qualifications:

  • Electrical Engineering or related STEM field degree: Bachelor of Science with 9 years of RF/microwave experience; Master's degree with 7 years of RF/microwave experience; PhD degree with 4 years of experience
  • US Citizenship is required
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance
  • Proven knowledge of electrical engineering design software and equipment
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to design, implement, install and maintain electrical systems
  • Technical Team Leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Secret or Top Secret / SCI security clearance
  • Direct experience designing or testing AESA / phased array, Radar, SIGINT, or SATCOM products
  • Experience working in DoD Radar electronic designs through all phases of a product's lifecycle from concept through production support
  • Integrated Circuit packaging techniques including chip-and-wire, QFN, flip-chip, interposers
  • Electronic troubleshooting from component to assembly levels
  • Graduate degree concentration in RF/Microwave Engineering or Computional Electromagnetics
  • Demonstrated ability to write code to conduct complex data reduction and analysis using Matlab or Python/C++/C#
  • Technical team leadership experience with or without Cost Account Management Experience
Primary Level Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $163,200.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

What Northrop Grumman employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


Northrop Grumman logo

About Northrop Grumman

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible.

Industry

Space research administration

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Falls Church, VA, US

Year founded

1939