---
title: 'Manager, RF Hardware Engineering at ICEYE US'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manager-rf-hardware-engineering-iceye-us-irvine-87ah9mmyr60y'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-12'
---

# Manager, RF Hardware Engineering at ICEYE US

- **Company:** ICEYE US
- **Location:** Irvine, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iceye-us-jobs/2a0b1b78-e4a8-4ffb-9491-bda565e2bfa8

## Job description

Manager, RF Hardware Engineering At ICEYE, we design, build and operate the largest fleet of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites in the world. Using advanced technology, our constellation collects topographical data about any location on Earth, day or night, through any weather conditions. Headquartered in Southern California, our customers are society’s heroes – intelligence professionals, warfighters, first responders, and scientific researchers. As a trusted mission partner, the United States and its allies depend on us for critical information when it matters most.

## Role Description

ICEYE US is developing next-generation spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payloads and full space vehicles, and is seeking an RF Hardware Manager to lead the engineering team responsible for payload RF hardware, radar systems, and communications hardware design. Sitting within the Space Systems engineering team, this role owns the RF hardware architecture across SAR payload, radar subsystems, and vehicle-level communications — ensuring that antenna arrays, high-speed digitizers, RF front ends, and data links meet mission performance requirements across the full program lifecycle. The manager will absorb and institutionalize relevant historical knowledge of ICEYE's SAR payload designs and RF architecture, guiding the translation of that knowledge into ICEYE US products, while simultaneously building the RF hardware foundation to support full space vehicle development. They will own the concept of operations (CONOPS) to inform RF design decisions across all engineering domains, serve as the primary RF technical authority at all program lifecycle reviews, and drive the team toward a verified, integrated flight article ready for environmental test and launch.

## Responsibilities

- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of RF hardware, radar, and communications hardware engineers; own hiring, onboarding, performance development, and technical career growth for direct reports.\
- Own RF subsystem program execution: work breakdown, scheduling, resource loading, risk tracking, and status reporting against program milestones (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR).
- Set and enforce RF hardware engineering standards, processes, and operating framework governing how RF systems, radar hardware, and communications hardware are designed, analyzed, tested, and verified across the program lifecycle — including RF analysis standards, test automation frameworks, documentation formats, and RF verification readiness criteria.
- Serve as the RF hardware technical authority and primary cross-functional counterpart to systems engineering, mechanical, thermal, avionics, embedded software, firmware, and program management stakeholders.
- Own the RF hardware architecture for SAR payloads and space vehicles, including transmit/receive chains, high-speed digitizers, low-noise RF circuits, power amplifiers, and RF front-end subsystems.
- Direct detailed RF hardware analysis for antennas and phased antenna arrays, including gain, beam pattern, polarization, scan performance, and mutual coupling.
- Guide the team in hardware/software and hardware/firmware co-design with embedded software and FPGA firmware engineers on high-speed digital interfaces, timing architectures, and data acquisition chains.
- Own vehicle-level and payload-level communications hardware architecture — RF uplink/downlink, inter-subsystem RF links, and ground interface RF definitions — ensuring end-to-end link performance meets mission ConOps and data rate requirements.
- Oversee RF subsystem requirements development and engineering requirements derivation to meet system-level mission performance goals.

Required Qualifications

- 8+ years of experience in RF hardware engineering, including spacecraft or payload RF system design through the full design lifecycle.
- 2+ years of direct engineering management or technical lead experience, including tasking, mentorship, and performance ownership for a multi-discipline RF or hardware engineering team.
- Deep background in RF hardware design including high-speed digitizers, low-noise RF circuits, antenna and phased array systems, and RF front-end integration.
- Demonstrated experience in RF test and validation, including anechoic testing, phased array characterization, RF test automation, and data analysis.
- Experience developing RF subsystem requirements and deriving engineering requirements from mission-level performance goals.
- Proficiency in microwave and RF analysis using Python or equivalent tools.
- Familiarity with SAR imaging concepts and system design.
- Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

## Preferred Qualifications

- 4+ years of hands-on experience in SAR payload design, integration, and test.
- Direct experience with communications hardware design for space vehicles, including uplink/downlink RF systems and link margin analysis.
- Experience with assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) for spacecraft and payloads, including environmental test (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC).
- Experience with formal verification and validation of space-rated RF systems.
- Background in radar hardware architecture, waveform design, or pulse compression chain design.
- Experience leading RF capture contributions — RFIs, RFPs, and technical proposals.
- Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, or a related field.

Pay Range and Compensation Package

- The estimated base salary range for this role is $165k - $200k depending on experience
- Other benefits include health coverage, flexible PTO, a friendly work environment, plus extra fun perks!

Physical Requirements This position primarily works in an office environment. It requires the ability to sit or stand for long periods of time and frequent walking. Daily use of a computer, phone, office equipment and other computing and digital devices is required. Some travel may be necessary – the ability to travel by car, plane, train, bus, vessel, or metro, operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid Driver’s License and/or effectively navigate public transportation is required. While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee must be able to read and respond to inter-office communications as well as effectively participate in meetings. The employee is often required to sit and use their hands or fingers, to lift up to 50 lbs., pull, push, carry, handle, or feel. The employee is required to carry, handle items, reach with arms and hands, to stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk, or hear. Mental demands may require prolonged concentration, reading comprehension, understanding and interpretation of concepts, ideas, and philosophies. The physical demands of the position described herein are essential functions of the job and employees must be able to successfully perform these tasks for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those individuals with real or perceived disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job described unless such accommodations would cause ICEYE US an undue burden.

## EEO Statement

ICEYE US is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.

## About ICEYE US

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: ICEYE US delivers synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery and space systems to U.S. government agencies, allies, and commercial partners for persistent monitoring, national security, disaster response, and environmental intelligence.
- **Entity Type**: Private (US subsidiary of ICEYE Oy, a venture-backed Finnish parent company)
- **Headquarters**: Irvine, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available (parent company ICEYE founded in 2014)
- **Founders**: Not publicly available (parent company founders include Rafal Modrzewski)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Defense and national security, space-based earth observation, geospatial intelligence, environmental monitoring, disaster response
- **Target customers**: U.S. government agencies (including DoD and intelligence community), allied governments, defense contractors, commercial enterprises
- **Mission statement**: “Improve life on Earth by delivering truth from space” — with a focus on “relentless readiness for national, economic, and environmental security”

## Products & Services
- **SAR Data Products**: Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery in Dwell (25 cm resolution), Spot (50 cm), Strip (3 m), and Scan (15 m) modes. Accessible through the world’s largest commercial SAR constellation, enabling day/night, all-weather imaging with rapid revisit times.
- **Space Systems**: Vertically integrated design, build, and operation of miniaturized SAR satellites; flight-proven platforms available for partner missions.
- **Solutions for National Security**: Persistent monitoring for maritime awareness, border security, counter-trafficking, infrastructure surveillance, and tactical intelligence.
- **Solutions for Economic Security**: Supply chain monitoring, port security, resource management, illegal fishing detection.
- **Solutions for Environmental Security**: Climate research, disaster response, Arctic monitoring, environmental impact assessment.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (parent company ICEYE was valued at over $1.8B in its 2024 Series D, but ICEYE US is a subsidiary)
- **Key Metric**: Headcount of 63 employees (+59.2% year-over-year as of mid-2026); parent company operates a fleet of 50+ satellites
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company investors include Seraphim Space, True Ventures, and others. Key U.S. partner/customer: National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements Program.
- **Growth Signals**: 207.6% yearly growth in LinkedIn followers; 400% quarterly increase in job postings; appointment of Ann Stevens as CEO (June 2026); NRO contract win

## Competitive Advantages
- Operates the **world’s largest commercial SAR satellite constellation**, providing unmatched revisit and coverage.
- **25 cm resolution** from a small satellite platform — the industry’s highest fidelity commercial SAR product.
- **All-weather, day/night** persistent monitoring capability — cloud, smoke, and darkness do not hinder data collection.
- **U.S. soil** design, build, launch, and operations (Irvine, CA) — critical for national security customers.
- **Vertical integration** of satellite production and ground systems enables rapid iteration and cost efficiency.
- **AI integration** for automated analysis and faster decision-making.

## Strategic Focus
- Deepening partnerships with U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, as evidenced by the NRO contract and CEO appointment of a national security veteran.
- Expanding the constellation to increase revisit frequency and resolution capabilities.
- Enhancing AI-driven analytics and real-time data dissemination to shorten the “observe to action” cycle.
- Growing the U.S. workforce and strengthening Southern California’s defense-tech ecosystem.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Direct impact on national security, disaster response, and environmental resilience — “your work benefits humanity.”
- **Benefits**: 401k matching, up to 12 weeks paid parental leave, industry-leading medical/dental/vision including HSA, unlimited PTO, flexible work arrangements and commuter benefits.
- **Growth**: Rapid headcount growth (+59% YoY) and expanding contract portfolio provide career advancement opportunities.
- **Culture values**: “Act as one,” “Help others,” “Drive effective teamwork,” “Have fun” — collaborative, resourceful, and high-trust environment.
- **Work policy**: Flexible work arrangements available (hybrid likely; specific remote policy not detailed).
- **Engineering culture**: Hands-on work with advanced satellite and radar technology, software-defined architecture, and AI — pushing the boundaries of space-based monitoring.

## Sources
1. [iceye.us - Company Overview](https://iceye.us/)
2. [iceye.us - Careers page](https://iceye.us/join-us)
3. [iceye.us - Who We Are](https://iceye.us/who-we-are)
4. [iceye.us - What We Do](https://iceye.us/what-we-do)
5. [linkedin.com - ICEYE US Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/iceyeus)

## Other roles at ICEYE US

- [Director, Program Management](https://feeny.ai/job/director-program-management-iceye-us-irvine-pc2t9f2sbb3s) — Irvine, CA
- [Manager, Mechanical and Thermal Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-mechanical-and-thermal-systems-iceye-us-irvine-kd0egfm0cqf0) — Irvine, CA
- [Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/site-reliability-engineer-iceye-us-irvine-z3vjayn465nm) — Irvine, CA
- [AIT Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ait-engineer-iceye-us-irvine-bjq2dhf95rk9) — Irvine, CA
- [Chief Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-engineer-iceye-us-irvine-ctc7xdddxwrv) — Irvine, CA
- [Senior Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-program-manager-iceye-us-herndon-v2kym4y5x5w6) — Herndon
- [Senior Aerospace Cybersecurity Architect](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-aerospace-cybersecurity-architect-iceye-us-irvine-x9se1d76h28q) — Irvine, CA
- [Manager, GN&C](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-gn-c-iceye-us-irvine-wd1tad2aqxm1) — Irvine, CA
- [Manager, Flight Software](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-flight-software-iceye-us-irvine-09ymfr8ne2t9) — Irvine, CA
- [Manager, Avionics](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-avionics-iceye-us-irvine-8w1tjdzbgqbj) — Irvine, CA