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Rf Engineering Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

RF Engineering Technician

San Diego, CA · On-site

$135K - $150K/yr

Description SSI is seeking an RF Engineering Technician with a broad range of experience in ... Basic understanding of security principles (COMSEC equipment, key management, PKI maybe) * Basic ...

Candidate will perform traditional Systems Engineering and Project Management activities for RF systems to include the following tasks/duties: * Collaborate with customer and stakeholders to ...

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Rf Engineering Manager information

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$37K

$117.7K

$183K

How much do rf engineering manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for rf engineering manager in the United States is $117,680.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $97,500.00 and $139,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an RF Engineering Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as an RF Engineering Manager, you need deep expertise in radio frequency theory, system design, and project management, often backed by a degree in electrical engineering and relevant industry experience. Familiarity with tools like network analyzers, RF simulation software (such as CST or HFSS), and certifications like Professional Engineer (PE) or wireless communications standards are highly valuable. Strong leadership, problem-solving, and clear communication skills help in leading teams and managing cross-functional projects. These competencies ensure efficient project delivery, technical excellence, and effective team coordination in the fast-evolving RF field.

What are some common challenges faced by an RF Engineering Manager when leading a team?

As an RF Engineering Manager, one common challenge is balancing project deadlines with the technical complexities of RF system design and testing. Managing a multidisciplinary team often means coordinating between design, simulation, and testing engineers while ensuring effective communication across departments. Additionally, keeping up with rapidly evolving technologies and regulatory requirements requires ongoing professional development and adaptability. Addressing these challenges involves strong leadership, clear goal-setting, and fostering a collaborative work environment.

What does an RF Engineering Manager do?

An RF Engineering Manager oversees teams responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining radio frequency (RF) systems and components, such as antennas, transmitters, and receivers. They coordinate projects, allocate resources, and ensure technical standards are met throughout the development process. Additionally, they work closely with other departments to integrate RF solutions into larger systems and may be involved in troubleshooting, testing, and optimizing performance. Their role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to manage both people and projects effectively.

What is the difference between Rf Engineering Manager vs Rf Design Engineer?

AspectRf Engineering ManagerRf Design Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, certifications like FCC or IEEEBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, similar certifications
Work EnvironmentOversees teams, manages projects, strategic planningDesigns RF components, conducts testing, develops prototypes
Employer & IndustryTelecom, aerospace, defense companiesTelecom equipment manufacturers, research labs

The Rf Engineering Manager focuses on leading RF engineering teams, managing projects, and strategic planning, while the Rf Design Engineer concentrates on designing RF components and conducting technical testing. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds and certifications, but differ in scope and responsibilities within the industry.

More about Rf Engineering Manager jobs
What cities are hiring for Rf Engineering Manager jobs? Cities with the most Rf Engineering Manager job openings:
What states have the most Rf Engineering Manager jobs? States with the most job openings for Rf Engineering Manager jobs include:
Infographic showing various Rf Engineering Manager job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 5% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 75% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 22% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $117,680 per year, or $56.6 per hour.
Engineering Manager, RF Hardware

Engineering Manager, RF Hardware

CesiumAstro

Westminster, CO

Full-time

Posted 12 days ago


Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are seeking an Engineering Manager, RF Hardware to lead and coordinate our RF electronics teams across multiple sites and product lines. This leadership role is critical to ensuring design consistency and high-quality execution across a diverse portfolio of phased arrays, RF front-end modules, up- and down-converters, and software-defined radios.

This position is a highly technical leadership role responsible for delivering well-engineered RF hardware – on schedule – across all product lines. The role provides technical ownership for board- and box-level RF designs while leading team execution, staffing, and engineering process maturity in a fast-growing aerospace and defense startup environment.

In addition to people and process leadership, this role contributes hands-on technical expertise to critical designs, architecture reviews, and complex debug activities, ensuring products are scalable, manufacturable, testable, and robust at production volumes.

This front-line engineering management role is the perfect fit for excellent engineers who want to grow their impact. If you are passionate about designing great hardware, have strong interpersonal skills, and are excited by the prospect of designing teams to make more hardware than you can on your own – this is the role for you.

Some engineering management experience is preferred but not required. The successful candidate may be a senior or principal engineer motivated to take the next step in their career.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Maintain technical integrity and engineering excellence for RF electronics development across the company.
  • Establish, mature, scale, and enforce engineer-friendly RF hardware development processes, including analysis and simulation templates, schematic design standards, checklists, and layout best practices for dense, high-layer-count PCBs.
  • Lead and participate in rigorous architecture and design reviews, ensuring appropriate subject matter expert (SME) engagement across digital, RF, power, firmware, and mechanical disciplines.
  • Apply strong working knowledge of adjacent disciplines – digital electronics, power electronics, mechanical engineering, software – to ensure board- and system-level success.
  • Contribute directly to board-level RF designs as needed, particularly in high-risk or schedule-critical programs.
  • Lead or support complex debug efforts involving RF boards.
  • Ensure RF hardware designs are buildable and testable at scale using DFM and DFT best practices.
  • Drive disciplined handoff from engineering to manufacturing through close collaboration with manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and production test engineering.
  • Ensure designs meet quality, reliability, and scalability requirements for aerospace and defense production environments.
  • Partner with Supply Chain to ensure component availability, lifecycle risk mitigation, and cost awareness.
  • Drive design reuse, modular architectures, and platform commonality across products to accelerate execution and reduce risk.
TEAM LEADERSHIP, STAFFING & PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Build, scale, and lead a high-performing digital and mixed-signal hardware engineering team.
  • Advocate for realistic schedules while holding the team accountable to delivery commitments.
  • Lead hiring activities, including writing job descriptions, conducting interviews, and making hire/no-hire decisions.
  • Establish clear development paths and growth opportunities for high-performing engineers.
  • Address performance issues promptly and constructively.
  • Actively close skill gaps through hands-on mentorship, training initiatives, or targeted hiring.
  • Provide one-on-one coaching, mentoring, and deep technical guidance.
  • Serve as a key contributor to early-stage engineering execution planning, including collaboration with Business Development and Systems Engineering.
  • Plan and manage budgets related to staffing, lab equipment, capital equipment, and design/simulation software.
  • Maintain strong working relationships across Engineering, Quality, and Operations.
JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering required.
  • Minimum of 7 years of direct board-level RF hardware engineering experience, preferably in aerospace environments. 1–3 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 the digital and power electronics required to make an RF board come alive.
  • Software-defined radio experience preferred.
  • 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 architectural rigor with execution speed in a fast-paced development environment.
  • Proficiency with RF simulation and analysis tools such as Pathwave System Design (SystemVue) and 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.
CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.  Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.  
 
CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.