RF Expert (m/f/d)

Thales
Stuttgart
Workplace: HybridContractFunction: Software EngineeringSkills: ["Problem-solving","Teamwork","Communication","Analytical thinking","Ownership"]

RF expert responsible for architecting and designing the RF transmit/receive front-end for radar sensors, ensuring signal integrity, phase coherence, and dynamic range. Lead analog RF design, frequency synthesis, data streaming from FPGA fronts to GPUs, and integration with digital processing, enabling robust radar performance in defense applications within a hybrid work setup in Stuttgart.

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FursaFursa
Thales
Thales
2 months ago

RF Expert (m/f/d)

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Job Summary

RF expert responsible for architecting and designing the RF transmit/receive front-end for radar sensors, ensuring signal integrity, phase coherence, and dynamic range. Lead analog RF design, frequency synthesis, data streaming from FPGA fronts to GPUs, and integration with digital processing, enabling robust radar performance in defense applications within a hybrid work setup in Stuttgart.
Location: Stuttgart
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Contract
Job Function: Software Engineering

Key Responsibilities

  • •RF architecture & system design: Define the front-end architecture and the overall frequency plan, including spur and image analysis; Establish the RF link budget: cascaded noise figure, sensitivity, gain distribution, compression and intermodulation, and end-to-end dynamic range; Derive RF requirements from system-level radar parameters (range, waveform, PRF, instrumented Doppler, sub-clutter visibility).
  • •Streaming & data movement: Design zero-copy / DMA-based ingest paths from FPGA-based front-ends into GPU memory; Build deterministic, real-time-capable streaming pipelines including buffering, backpressure handling and precise time-stamping.
  • •Transmit & receive chain design: Design the receive chain: LNA, mixing/conversion stages, IF/baseband filtering, gain control (AGC) and receiver protection/limiting; Design the transmit chain: up-conversion, driver and power-amplifier stages, pulse modulation and T/R switching with sufficient transmit–receive isolation; Design the data-converter interface (ADC/DAC) including anti-alias and reconstruction filtering, matching and clocking.
  • •Frequency generation & coherence: Design the frequency synthesis for a fully coherent system; Optimize phase noise and timing/clock jitter as the key levers for MTI/Doppler improvement factor and sub-clutter visibility.
  • •Layout, integration & bring-up: Lead board bring-up and integration with antenna and digital front-end.
Travel: Medium travel

Key Requirements

  • •Completed technical studies, e.g. in computer science or electronical engineering.
  • •Solid hands-on RF/microwave front-end design experience (LNA, mixer, PA, filter, conversion stages).
  • •Strong command of RF system design: link budget, cascaded noise figure, dynamic range, compression and intermodulation.
  • •Frequency synthesis and low-phase-noise design (LO generation/distribution, coherent clocking).
  • •Experience with RF measurement and characterization (VNA, spectrum/signal/phase-noise analyzers, noise-figure measurement).
Experience:DefenseRadarMilitary
Skills:Problem-solvingTeamworkCommunicationAnalytical thinkingOwnership
Languages:GermanEnglish
Tech Stack:PythonMATLABFPGAGPUVNASpectrum analyzerPhase noiseADSAWREM solversPCBClockingSampling

Company Brief

Thales
Designs and delivers advanced systems and services for aerospace, defence, security, and digital identity and cybersecurity markets, serving government and commercial customers worldwide.
Industry: Defense Technology
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: Paris, France
Founded: 2000
WebsiteLinkedIn