RF Software Simulation Engineer
Impulse Space
USD 125k-175k / year + Equity
Posted on Apr 7, 2026
As an RF Software Simulation Engineer at Impulse, your core responsibility will be to own the design, testing, and delivery of RF software simulation systems for space missions anywhere from low Earth orbit to Mars.
- Department
- Software
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- Redondo Beach
- Workplace type
- Onsite
- Compensation
- $125,000 - $175,000 / year
Responsibilities
- Development of algorithms for RF digital signal processing, calibration, and performance modeling
- Design and optimization of RF system models and control algorithms to improve performance and reliability
- Develop and maintain simulation environments for RF links, modulation/demodulation chains, and end-to-end communications performance
- Build tools to analyze RF system behavior in realistic mission conditions, including noise, interference, propagation effects, and hardware impairments
- Work with flight software, hardware, and ground software teams to develop and test satellite-to-ground data pipelines and validate simulated performance against lab and system test results
- Support RF system integration and test activities by correlating simulation results with measured hardware behavior
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field
- 2+ years of experience in developing software for wireless systems or RF/communications systems in critical applications
- 2+ years writing Python, C/C++, or similar code for simulation, analysis, or software-defined radio applications
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Ability to work in the lab with RF equipment including spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and software defined radios
- Strong understanding of the major blocks of RF signal modulation/demodulation
- Experience building simulation, modeling, or analysis tools for complex RF or communications systems
- Experience implementing or modeling baseband software for systems using PSK, GFSK, or APSK
- Experience with common RF protocols such as DVB-S2 and CCSDS
- Experience writing software, simulation tools, or test infrastructure for a space environment, including space link budgets and ground station integration
- Experience with GNU Radio flowgraph development and troubleshooting
- Experience developing Monte Carlo, first-principles, or system-level simulations for RF or communications performance analysis
- Experience modeling propagation, atmospheric effects, timing errors, or hardware non-idealities in RF systems
- Experience correlating simulated behavior with hardware or lab test data
- Experience in a startup or agile development environment
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Application Received
Stage 2:
Resume Review
Stage 3:
Intro Phone Interview
Stage 4:
Technical Phone Interview(s)
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