RF Systems Engineer, Characterization & Validation

About the company

Efference provides high-performance perception and compute infrastructure for training and deploying robot models in the cloud. Our vision is to make robotic deployments scalable with shared compute.

We approach the problem by owning the entire path from the image sensor to the datacenter GPU. We shrink the load at the sensor, fix the uplink so robot traffic is fast and reliable, and clock synchronize the system so observations arrive time-aligned, ready for inference.

About the role

You'll develop and characterize the RF and antenna systems that keep moving robots connected to Efference infrastructure. You'll connect antenna and radio measurements to application performance, identifying how robot geometry, electronics, and the surrounding environment affect the link.

What you’ll do

• Design, prototype, and tune antennas and matching networks with electrical engineers and the product design team, accounting for enclosure materials, mounting, and robot orientation.
• Characterize antenna patterns, beamforming performance, efficiency, isolation, transmit quality, and receiver sensitivity through conducted and over-the-air measurements.
• Investigate desense and interference from compute, power electronics, cameras, cables, motors, and neighboring radios; verify fixes on assembled systems.
• Develop repeatable tests for multipath, blockage, polarization changes, and motion in mesh networks; correlate RF measurements with packet loss and latency during handoffs.
• Build automated measurement tools, calibration procedures, and uncertainty checks so results remain comparable across prototypes, labs, and suppliers.
• Support site surveys, antenna placement, RF production limits, and radio certification testing; document failure mechanisms and design changes with measured evidence.

What we are looking for

• Hands-on experience developing or validating antennas and RF systems for wireless products.
• Strong understanding of electromagnetic propagation, impedance matching, link budgets, receiver impairments, and interference mechanisms.
• Experience with vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and conducted or radiated test setups.
• Ability to connect EVM, sensitivity, antenna patterns, and beamforming measurements to link reliability and handoff performance.
• Python or comparable automation skills, careful measurement practice, and experience debugging across RF, electrical, and mechanical boundaries.

Nice to Have

• Antenna simulation experience with HFSS, CST, or similar tools, including MIMO antenna systems.
• Work on Wi-Fi, UWB, industrial radios, or wireless products mounted near metal and moving machinery.
• Experience with chamber testing, regulatory test labs, RF calibration, or production correlation.