Volunteer Radio Network Optimization Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Shape the Future of America's Skies with Peraton

Join Peraton in advancing the safety, efficiency, and modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS) through the FAA's Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) contract. As a trusted partner to the Federal Aviation Administration, Peraton delivers the mission-critical systems and services that keep our nation's skies safe, secure, and connected.

We're seeking innovative professionals who thrive in high-impact, mission-driven environments and are excited to help transform the future of air traffic management. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the world's most vital transportation infrastructures while collaborating with leaders in aviation, engineering, data science, and systems integration.

At Peraton, you won't just support the mission-you'll help define it.

NEXCOM Senior Systems Design Engineer

Location: Dallas, TX or Chicago, IL

We are seeking a Design Engineer for our Next Generation Air/Ground Communications (NEXCOM) program to lead the systems engineering activities that support the design and implementation of new large-scale radio network equipment at more than a thousand FAA air traffic control centers across the United States. Applicants must have experience with site surveys, radio network configurations, racks and cable routings and have familiarity with safety and risk management issues while creating site installation engineering packages (detailed drawings, BOM, installation steps and schematics).This position will work closely with our FAA client, Peraton CAD drafters and schedulers, and third-party installation teams, and must be attentive to detail, have strong problem-solving ability and display strong communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct large-scale radio network planning, including site surveys, radio network configurations, racks and cable routings.
• Create site installation engineering packages (detailed drawings, BOM, installation steps and schematics) to support implementation and deployment of radio communication equipment.
• Develop system design packages that support site preparation, procurement, and installation activities.
• Support development of site engineering packages required for radio equipment installations.
• Perform requirements definition and system decomposition.
• Utilize Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies to support system modeling and documentation.
• Conduct trade-off analyses to support engineering decisions and system design optimization.
• Provide technical leadership and engineering guidance to project teams and junior engineers.
• Facilitate engineering discussions, working groups, and design reviews across technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including field engineering, deployment teams, and program leadership to ensure design alignment with operational requirements.
• Ensure designs comply with program standards, engineering best practices, and technical requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 6 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 3 years with PhD; 10 years with an AS degree; 12 years in lieu of degree
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain/maintain a public trust clearance 
• Experience with systems engineering processes, including requirements definition, system decomposition, and architecture development.
• Experience applying Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) principles.
• Ability to perform engineering trade studies and technical evaluations.
• Experience providing technical leadership or mentorship within engineering teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to support technical working groups and design reviews.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting radio communication systems with telecommunications infrastructure for interface, or similar technical deployments.
• Familiarity with site survey analysis and site engineering documentation.
• Experience supporting large federal or aviation-related programs.
• Proficiency with engineering and design tools such as SysML, UML, and CAD.

#BNATCS 

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.