Systems Engineer Jobs in Chantilly, VA

Job Description

Fusion Innovation is a growing company recognized on the Inc. 5000 list and repeatedly named one of the Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work. We put our people first, embrace a family culture, and make sure innovative ideas are heard. Join a team where your expertise is valued and your work makes a meaningful impact on critical missions.
Position Overview
Fusion Innovation is seeking an Expert RF Systems Engineer to serve as a senior technical advisor for wireless communication systems. This role develops, validates, and optimizes RF link budgets, translates system requirements into quantitative performance models, and provides recommendations that inform architecture, design, deployment, and operational decisions. You will collaborate with RF, antenna, systems, network, hardware, software, and field engineering teams to meet coverage, capacity, availability, reliability, and performance objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Develop comprehensive uplink and downlink RF link budgets for terrestrial, satellite, cellular, private wireless, tactical, or other wireless communication systems.
Calculate and validate transmit power and EIRP; receiver sensitivity; antenna gain; cable, connector, feeder, and implementation losses; free-space path loss; atmospheric and environmental losses; fading, shadowing, and polarization losses.
Analyze noise figure, system noise temperature, thermal noise, noise bandwidth, receiver G/T where applicable, carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N), carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (C/(I+N)), Eb/N₀, and required versus available link margin.
Model performance across frequency bands, modulation schemes, bandwidths, antenna configurations, propagation environments, and operating conditions.
Perform best-case, nominal, worst-case, and statistical analyses; establish engineering margins aligned with availability and reliability requirements.
Identify link-margin limitations, assess propagation and interference impacts, and determine the parameters with the greatest influence on system performance.
Conduct trade studies involving transmit power, antenna gain, receiver performance, bandwidth, coding and modulation, frequency selection, and deployment configuration.
Independently review and validate complex RF analyses and communicate recommendations to multidisciplinary engineering teams.
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Required Skills

Active Top Secret/SCI with Polygraph.
Minimum of 12 years of experience with a BS/BA, 10 years with an MS/MA, or 7 years with a PhD. An additional four years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Demonstrated expert-level experience developing and reviewing RF link budgets and performing quantitative RF trade studies and sensitivity analyses.
Strong understanding of RF propagation, antennas, transmission lines, receivers, transmitters, and wireless communication systems.
Expertise in RF power and gain/loss calculations; dB/dBm/dBW conversions; noise figure and temperature; receiver sensitivity; C/N, C/I, C/(N+I), and Eb/N₀; free-space and non-free-space path loss; fade and implementation margins; antenna gain, beamwidth, polarization, and pointing; and modulation and coding impacts.
Ability to independently validate complex engineering analyses, with strong technical writing, presentation, and communication skills.
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Desired Skills

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related discipline.
Experience with 4G/5G, private LTE/5G, satellite, microwave, tactical communications, or other advanced wireless systems.
Experience with RF propagation and coverage modeling tools and software such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, STK, ADS, HFSS, CST, Atoll, or Pathloss.
Experience using spectrum analyzers, signal generators, network analyzers, power meters, and related RF test equipment.
Knowledge of antenna system design and characterization, and experience analyzing link availability and reliability.
Familiarity with applicable IEEE, ITU, 3GPP, FCC, or other relevant RF and wireless standards and regulations.
Experience supporting field deployment, drive testing, RF acceptance testing, or system verification.
Experience leading technical teams or serving as a senior engineering consultant or advisor.
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Additional Details

Fusion Innovation anticipates the annual base salary for this position will generally range from $100,000 to $215,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including, but not limited to:
Relevant education, certifications, and training
Years of direct applicable experience with this work and the customer
Contract labor category requirements, skill level, contract bill rate, and hours allocation
Alignment with the position’s responsibilities
Additional specialized skills

In addition to base salary, eligible employees may be considered for discretionary bonuses and are eligible for Fusion Innovation’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, vision, company-sponsored retirement contributions, paid leave, professional development opportunities, and other employee benefits.
Fusion Innovation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Fusion Innovation participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility for all newly hired employees. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact info@fusioninnovation.com.
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About Fusion Innovation

Our primary focus is on developing people to further their own unique craft. This includes helping our team become more experienced leaders, learn a team-first mentality, strive for more innovation, be thought leaders, and better overall people. By putting our people first and treating them as family and helping to develop their careers in a unique and specific fashion, we’re not just giving them more opportunities to grow and be successful, we’re also raising the bar for what our customers, families, and communities receive.
Don’t Just Join a Company - Join a Family
Exciting work, innovative colleagues, great teammates, unique customers, and a company that invests in you personally and professionally. We work hard to make Fusion Innovation a place that makes people excited to come to work; where colleagues stay connected and engaged; and where loved ones are welcomed with open arms.
We hope this makes us feel less like a company and more like a family. We achieve this by our commitments to you, our culture, and our employee focused perks.