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Radar Systems Engineer - Seeker & Target Tracking

El Segundo, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Own the radar seeker and RF sensing system behind a next-generation interceptor. This role spans radar hardware integration, real-time signal processing, target tracking, sensor fusion, and closed-loop guidance. You will take the seeker from early architecture and RF bench testing through hardware-in-the-loop validation and flight. You will work directly across radar, avionics, embedded compute, GNC, and vehicle systems to build the sensing capability that allows the interceptor to detect, track, and maintain an accurate target solution against high-speed threats.

About Us

We are a venture-backed defense technology company developing a new class of cost-effective interceptor systems built for rapid development and scalable production. The team is small, highly technical, and moving quickly from prototype hardware into ground testing and real-world flight demonstrations. Engineers operate with significant ownership and work directly across vehicle systems, suppliers, testing, and hardware rather than within narrowly defined functional boundaries.

Job Duties

• Own the radar seeker subsystem from architecture and hardware selection through integration, testing, and flight
• Evaluate and select radar sensors, RF components, antennas, and supporting hardware
• Integrate RF front ends, antennas, transceivers, high-speed converters, and embedded compute into the vehicle avionics architecture
• Define radar performance requirements around range, Doppler, resolution, sensitivity, update rate, and target characteristics
• Develop low-latency radar signal-processing pipelines for high-speed target detection and tracking
• Implement range-Doppler processing, CFAR detection, filtering, clutter rejection, and track-management algorithms
• Develop real-time target-state estimation using radar measurements and onboard navigation data
• Fuse radar tracks with IMU, GNSS, and vehicle-state estimates using EKF, UKF, or similar estimation methods
• Translate seeker measurements into accurate inputs for guidance and control
• Work closely with GNC engineers to validate closed-loop seeker-to-guidance performance
• Own timing, synchronization, coordinate transformations, and latency across sensing and guidance interfaces
• Characterize RF and radar performance through bench and system-level testing
• Build RF test rigs and hardware-in-the-loop environments for seeker development
• Conduct testing using radar scene generation, simulated targets, RCS reference targets, and flight dynamics models
• Support testing in anechoic chambers, RF ranges, ground environments, and flight
• Analyze test data, troubleshoot hardware and algorithm issues, and drive improvements into the seeker design
• Support antenna placement, radome integration, EMI/EMC considerations, and other vehicle-level RF constraints
• Work directly with radar and RF suppliers, including component sourcing and make-versus-buy decisions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, or a related technical field
• Strong understanding of radar systems, RF sensing, electromagnetics, or related sensing technologies
• Knowledge of radar fundamentals including range, Doppler, resolution, noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and detection performance
• Experience with digital signal processing, filtering, detection, or target-tracking algorithms
• Proficiency with C++ and/or Python
• Experience working with embedded or real-time computing systems
• Hands-on experience testing radar, RF, or other complex sensing hardware
• Familiarity with RF laboratory equipment such as spectrum analyzers, VNAs, oscilloscopes, or signal generators
• Experience working with high-rate sensor or RF data
• Strong understanding of estimation, filtering, and coordinate transformations
• Ability to work across hardware, software, avionics, GNC, and test disciplines
• U.S. Person or Lawful Permanent Resident status required

Preferred Experience

• Experience developing missile, interceptor, munition, airborne, or autonomous radar systems
• Background in radar seekers, terminal guidance, air-to-air systems, or high-speed target tracking
• Experience with FMCW, pulsed-Doppler, phased-array, AESA, or comparable radar architectures
• Knowledge of CFAR, range-Doppler mapping, clutter rejection, electronic countermeasure resilience, or multi-target tracking
• Experience with RF front ends, antennas, amplifiers, mixers, transceivers, ADCs, DACs, or frequency-generation hardware
• Experience with antenna arrays, beamforming, or radome electromagnetic integration
• Experience implementing radar processing on FPGAs, GPUs, DSPs, or other accelerated compute hardware
• Familiarity with VHDL or Verilog
• Experience with software-defined radio platforms
• Knowledge of radar cross-section modeling or synthetic radar target generation
• Experience developing radar hardware-in-the-loop test environments
• Experience with anechoic chamber, RF range, or flight testing
• Familiarity with high-speed aerospace targets, UAVs, air-defense systems, or autonomous intercept systems
• Experience developing hardware for vibration, shock, thermal, or other demanding aerospace environments
• Previous experience in a startup or rapid hardware development environment

Why Join Us

• Own the radar sensing system behind a new interceptor platform from architecture through flight
• Work directly across RF hardware, radar processing, estimation, avionics, and GNC
• Build and test hardware rather than operating solely in simulation
• Take seeker technology from RF bench testing into closed-loop intercept demonstrations
• Work directly with a small engineering team and company leadership
• Influence major seeker architecture, hardware, and supplier decisions
• Help build a radar system optimized around performance, cost, and scalable production

Compensation Details

$140,000 - $190,000

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