What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior RF Communications Engineer position at Urban Sky?
About Urban Sky:
Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis.
Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment.
We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members.
About The Role:
Urban Sky is seeking an experienced RF Communications Engineer to lead the design, configuration, and optimization of communication networks for high-altitude relay and bent-pipe systems to support a growing ecosystem of 3rd party payloads integrating with the Urban Sky Microballoon platform. This role focuses on achieving and maintaining link closure across all mission phases, ensuring reliable, high-bandwidth data transfer between airborne, spaceborne, and ground segments and collaborative iterative engagement with internal and external stakeholders, partners and customers.
Key Functions:
- Perform detailed RF link budget analyses to ensure end-to-end communication reliability across dynamic mission geometries and environmental conditions.
- Define and validate system parameters including transmit power, antenna gain, modulation, coding, and data rate to ensure link margin sufficiency.
- Develop and maintain network configuration documentation for multi-node relay or bent-pipe architectures.
- Configure and validate RF network topologies, frequency plans, and routing paths for dynamic relay networks.
- Interface with government and customer stakeholders to optimize and configure mission parameters.
- Support bent-pipe communication architectures, including balloon-to-balloon, balloon-to-payload, balloon-to-ground, and payload-to-ground paths.
- Optimize network performance across multiple platforms, ensuring robustness against interference, Doppler shifts, and propagation losses.
- Collaborate with systems and payload engineers to ensure RF subsystem integration meets mission requirements.
- Conduct hardware-in-the-loop and field validation tests of RF links, including end-to-end connectivity and throughput testing.
- Develop automated tools for link monitoring, network status, and performance reporting.
- Support real-time mission operations to monitor and troubleshoot link performance.
- Analyze post-mission RF telemetry to refine link models and update configuration parameters.
- Develop security hardened RF and data communications network standards.
Skills & Experience:
- B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, or a related field.
- 6–8 years of hands-on experience in RF systems engineering, preferably within aerospace, satellite, or high-altitude communications.
- Proficiency in link budget modeling tools (e.g., Python, STK, MATLAB, SystemVue, or equivalent).
- Deep understanding of RF propagation, antenna design principles, modulation schemes, and error correction coding.
- Familiarity with bent-pipe / regenerative architectures, and network routing protocols for relay systems.
- Experience with network configuration, test instrumentation (e.g., spectrum analyzers, vector signal generators), and hardware integration.
- Knowledge of regulatory and spectrum management considerations (FCC, ITU, etc.).
Nice-to-Haves:
- Aerospace and/or start-up experience
- Experience with high-altitude platform systems (HAPS), small satellite communications, or airborne relay architectures.
- Background in software-defined radio (SDR) development and network automation scripting (Python, MATLAB, C ).
- Familiarity with Ka-, Ku-, or X-band systems and adaptive modulation / coding techniques.
Benefits:
- Stock Options
- Medical, Vision and Dental
- Unlimited Vacation Days
- Cell Phone Bill Stipend
Urban Sky is required to post this salary range per Colorado law. Your salary will be determined based on your abilities and experience.
We expect all team members to actively leverage and continuously adapt to emerging AI tools as a core part of their daily workflow. Proficiency with job-relevant modern AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot) is expected and integral to success in this role.
NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and/or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency.
Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
Salary : $130,000