Senior RF Engineer

Venus Aerospace is revolutionizing rocket engine propulsion. With the first generational leap in rocket engine technology since Apollo, our proprietary Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine and Venus Detonation Ramjets deliver historic efficiency and performance across aerospace applications. We are building the next generation of propulsion platforms that enable breakthrough capabilities in space, defense, and commercial high-speed flight. Our team thrives on solving the toughest engineering challenges and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in aerospace. At Venus, we’re looking for bold engineers and innovators who want to make history and redefine the future of propulsion.

Join us as an RF Telemetry Engineer and help design, build and flight test revolutionary propulsion technology. You’ll lead assessment of link budgets, design of both ground stations and onboard radio and antenna systems, and system testing to ensure we gather critical test data. This role blends analysis, mission planning, hands‑on engineering, hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration to deliver reliable, flight‑ready systems. If you excel at systems thinking, flight systems implementations and solving hard problems, you’ll thrive here.

Design, build and fly your systems

Lead the architecture, design, and selection of telemetry hardware, radios, antennas and ground stations

Conduct link analysis on a range of flight regimes as we rapidly improve our vehicle capabilities

Design ground stations and ground station networks to capture flight data and send commands

Deconflict frequency plans in different launch environments

Define requirements, conduct trade studies and select radios and antennas to complete the mission

Develop and maintain hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) test environments to support software development, integration, and verification

Support system integration, ground testing, and flight testing, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis

Assess system risks and recommend mitigations

Collaborate with external vendors and suppliers to define requirements, evaluate components, manage technical trade studies, and support procurement

Author and review technical documentation, including requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), schematics, test plans, and verification reports

Collaborate with Flight Software, Avionics, IT, GN&C, Aerodynamics, and Structures engineering disciplines to ascertain system requirements and meet technical program needs

Collaborate with Manufacturing and Quality to ensure your systems are ready to fly

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field. Alternatively, Radar Systems or Data Science experience, with a strong quantitative and mechanical measurements foundation

5+ years of experience in RF telemetry in rocket, missile or space applications

Experience conducting link analysis for flight vehicles in the supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes

Experience writing requirements, conducting trade studies, selecting onboard antennas, and radios

Experience placing and designing ground systems to receive data from and send commands

Experience implementing and troubleshooting grounding, bonding, and shielding solutions for analog-to-digital instrumentation signals in multi-band RF environments

Strong background in hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing and integration

Experience working with and managing outside vendors, including technical evaluations and supplier coordination

Strong troubleshooting and systems-level thinking skills

Experience with environmental testing and qualification

Key Competencies: systems-level avionics expertise; cross-functional collaboration; vendor and supplier management; clear technical communication

Strong experience with small vehicle avionics teams

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with diverse teams

Familiarity with embedded systems, buses and protocols (CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553, etc.).

Experience managing contractors for consulting or hardware production

Multiple launch campaigns under your belt

Experience contributing to design reviews and flight safety reviews with range stakeholders

Location: On-site in Houston, TX

Benefits: Venus Aerospace employee benefits include a 401(k) plan, stock options, and medical benefits, including dental and vision. We have a flex-Friday flexible schedule, unlimited PTO, and receive professional development opportunities.