RF Engineer

RF Engineer (Mid-Level) - Low-Power Radio & Mesh Networks

Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire

Salary: Up to £55,000

Security: BPSS before start; eligibility for UK SC clearance required

KO2 is recruiting on behalf of a fast-growing engineering scale-up working on defence and space projects.

As a RF Engineer, you'll help design, test and improve the low-power radio links and mesh networks behind those systems. It's a hands-on role in a small, close team: bench work, field trials and customer demonstrations, with real users and real deadlines.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop and optimise low-power RF hardware and radio links for small, battery-powered sensor nodes
• Develop and improve mesh networking, including routing, multi-hop performance, latency and resilience
• Carry out link budget analysis and range planning, and help choose antennas, bands and radio modules
• Support RF front-end and antenna design, PCB layout reviews, and matching and tuning on the bench
• Test and characterise radio performance in the lab and field using spectrum analysers, VNAs and signal generators
• Work with embedded, hardware and AI teams to balance range, data rate and power within tight size, weight and power limits
• Support field trials and customer demonstrations, including deploying units and diagnosing link issues on site
• Write clear test reports and technical documentation, and support EMC and regulatory compliance

Essential skills and experience

• Degree in electronic engineering, physics or a related subject, or equivalent experience
• Solid commercial experience in RF or wireless engineering at mid level
• Strong understanding of low-power radio design and protocols such as BLE, IEEE 802.15.4, Thread, Zigbee, LoRa or proprietary sub-GHz systems
• Practical mesh networking experience, including topology, routing and multi-hop behaviour
• Confident with RF test equipment and bench debugging
• Good knowledge of antenna fundamentals, impedance matching and link budgets
• Ability to achieve SC clearance, if you already hold it even better.
• Willing to travel occasionally for field trials and demonstrations

Desirable

• Experience with low-power wireless SoCs
• Embedded firmware in C or C++ for radio stacks
• RF simulation and PCB design tools
• Defence, security or space project experience
• Designing for harsh or remote outdoor environments

How to apply

KO2 is managing this vacancy on behalf of our client. Apply with your CV today or contact Laurence Powell at KO2 for a confidential chat about the role.