Senior RF Engineer

Kanata, ON, Canada .
full-time . August 21, 2026

Description

About Remote Robotic Systems

Help build advanced systems operating at the intersection of aerospace, robotics, and defence technology.

Remote Robotic Systems (RRS) is a Canadian robotics and defence-tech company helping organizations deploy enterprise-grade drones, uncrewed aircraft, robotic platforms, sensors, payloads, and remote operations technologies for mission-critical applications. Our solutions support customers across defence, public safety, security, industrial, infrastructure, energy, and government sectors.

Through our Airmetal team, we develop advanced aerospace, communications, and autonomous systems designed for demanding real-world environments.

We're a small, fast-moving engineering team that values ownership, technical depth, practical problem solving, and the ability to turn ambitious ideas into working hardware.

The Role

Airmetal is looking for a Senior RF Engineer to lead the RF design of our communications hardware.

This role spans the full RF lifecycle, from architecture and link-budget development through schematic capture, PCB layout, lab characterization, compliance testing, and production support. You will define transmit and receive chains, design and tune sub-6 GHz power-amplifier systems, and help determine how our products communicate reliably in demanding operating environments.

This is a hands-on role with meaningful ownership over architecture decisions. You will work closely with hardware and software teams and see your designs move quickly from concept to working hardware.

We're looking for an engineer who enjoys solving difficult RF problems, trusts measurements over assumptions, and wants to play a central role in building products from the ground up.

What You Will Work On

RF Architecture & Design

Define RF architectures including link budgets, sensitivity, dynamic range, gain distribution, component selection, and system-level trade-offs.
Design complete transmit and receive chains including power amplifiers, LNAs, mixers, filters, synthesizers, matching networks, biasing, protection, and thermal considerations.
Develop and optimize sub-6 GHz radio systems for demanding operating environments.
Capture schematics and lay out RF PCBs using controlled-impedance routing, grounding, shielding, and isolation between sensitive blocks.
Support antenna selection, integration, matching, and performance characterization.

Testing, Compliance & Production

Bring up and validate RF boards using measurements such as output power, gain, efficiency, EVM, ACLR, spurious emissions, noise figure, return loss, and stability.
Use simulation and EM tools where they add value and reconcile model results with bench measurements.
Lead RF troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
Support pre-compliance activities and work with external laboratories through FCC and ISED certification.
Define calibration, production test, and troubleshooting approaches that can scale beyond a single prototype.

Technical Leadership

Review RF-critical designs and share practical RF knowledge across the engineering team.
Partner with hardware, software, mechanical, and manufacturing teams on RF-related design decisions.

Core Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
Five or more years of professional RF hardware design experience, including ownership from concept through tested hardware or production.
Strong sub-6 GHz design experience and demonstrated ownership of RF transmit and receive chains.
Hands-on power-amplifier design experience.
Direct experience with RF schematic capture and PCB layout in Altium, KiCad, or a comparable tool.
Fluency with common RF laboratory equipment including a vector network analyzer, spectrum analyzer, signal generator, and power measurement equipment.
Working knowledge of RF simulation or EM tools such as ADS, AWR, HFSS, Sonnet, or similar.
Experience supporting EMC, regulatory, or certification activities.
Able to work on-site in Kanata, Ontario.

Nice to Have

Experience with power-amplifier designs above 10 W.
Antenna design and chamber-measurement experience.
GaN or LDMOS design, digital predistortion, envelope tracking, or other power-amplifier linearization techniques.
Mixed-signal or high-speed digital hardware design alongside RF.
Python, C, or C++ for automated RF characterization.
Experience creating production RF calibration and test strategies.
Experience in UAVs, robotics, aerospace, defence, wireless communications, or ruggedized products.

What Will Make You Successful

You move comfortably between architecture, simulation, layout, and the bench.
You understand when a measurement is misleading and know how to isolate the cause.
You make technical trade-offs using data and communicate them clearly across disciplines.
You take ownership through validation, compliance, and production handoff.
You enjoy working in a highly collaborative environment where designs evolve quickly.

What We Offer

Meaningful ownership of technically challenging work from architecture through validation and production.
Direct access to the hardware, lab equipment, and teammates needed to solve problems quickly.
A small, multidisciplinary environment where your work is visible and your technical judgement matters.
Competitive compensation, benefits, and equity participation.

Employment Details

Type: Full-time. This posting is for an existing, open vacancy.

Location: On-site in Kanata, ON

Compensation: $120,000-$150,000 plus equity and benefits, based on experience and fit for the role.

Security clearance: Some roles are conditional on the ability to obtain and maintain the required security clearance.

Use of AI in hiring: We may use AI tools to help with parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications, screening resumes, and evaluating candidate responses. These tools support our team, but people make all hiring decisions. AI is used to assist, not replace, human judgment.

Application Process

If you are excited about RF design, wireless communications, and building advanced systems that move from architecture to working hardware, we would love to hear from you.

Submit your resume and, if possible, a short note describing one RF design you owned, the hardest trade-off or failure you encountered, and how you validated the final result. A non-confidential portfolio or project summary is welcome.

Remote Robotic Systems is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Compensation

$120,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!