Communications Engineer - ELSYS - Colorado Springs

Overview

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

• Students are our top priority.
• We strive for excellence.
• We thrive on diversity.
• We celebrate collaboration.
• We champion innovation.
• We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
• We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
• We act ethically.
• We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

This role seeks an experienced engineer with a technical background in an Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO)-related field (e.g. EW, radar, comms). The Communications Engineer will be assigned to the Test Engineering (TEN) Division and will serve as an on-site liaison to the United States Space Force (USSF) Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) Integrated Program Office (IPO). This role will support OTTI and the development of the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC) EMSO range by providing Subject Matter Expertise (SME), technical analysis of current system capabilities, future capability needs, and implementation trades.

The applicant should:

• Have hands-on experience using and implementing RF systems, equipment, networks, and/or test environments.
• Have hands-on engineering experience with RF systems over-the-air (OTA) and/or in Hardware-In-The-Loop (HWIL) environments. Experience with implementing HWIL environments or performing system testing in HWIL environments is a plus.
• Have a solid grasp of relevant Radio Frequency (RF), hardware, software, firmware, communication, and digital signal processing concepts.
• Follow current engineering trends and have the ability to provide forward-thinking recommendations and robust, elegant designs.
• Be a proficient user of RF test equipment, both via front-panel and remote programming operations.
• Be proficient in providing RF system analyses (e.g., link budgets, J/S analyses, antenna sizing, throughput calculations, power budget).
• Be familiar with using a high-level programming language (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
• Be familiar with digital/waveform concepts (e.g., IQ, Nyquist theorem, waveform theory, constellation diagrams, modulation schemes, bit rate vs. symbol rate).

Research, design, development and prototyping of communications equipment and systems. Utilize experience and knowledge of end-to-end communications systems to architect novel and robust communications systems including emerging software-defined radio platforms and other emerging commercial communication systems and advanced tactical networks. Establish key performance requirements for various target radios across multiple operating bands, environments and targeted applications. Develop, implement, characterize and test leading-edge waveform and communications technologies enabling greater performance while enhancing EW capabilities through secure communications.

• Primary author of technical reports/presentations for projects of moderate/high complexity.
• Compile report input from other researchers and prepare final report deliverable.
• Lead and/or contribute to white papers and proposals.
• Propose and lead IRAD programs - create and analyze network protocols.