Senior RF Systems Engineer (SDR)
Two Six Technologies · Herndon, VA
$145,353–$218,030
Jul 26, 2026
Herndon, VA
Jul 27, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior engineering role centered on RF signal reverse engineering, waveform generation, and DSP/SDR software development in support of R&D programs. Day-to-day work involves decoding captured RF signals, reverse engineering commercial devices and complex protocols, and building custom SDR solutions on Linux. The position suits an experienced DSP/SDR engineer with a background in SIGINT or communications systems who holds an active Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Senior level · 5+ years · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $158,337 (middle half $126,441–$180,105).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (11)
The role is primarily software/DSP/SDR development but sits at the intersection of RF engineering and software; 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is a plausible alternative given the heavy signal-processing and electronic-warfare focus.
Degree requirement accepts 'equivalent practical, military, or intelligence community experience,' so no formal degree is hard-gated.
The 5-year minimum is explicitly tied to DSP and SDR development experience, which also serves as the role-level experience floor.
Modulation schemes (FSK, PSK, QAM) are listed together as examples of baseline capability required; FSK is used as the primary with PSK and QAM as alternatives since the posting treats them as a group.
SIGINT and communications systems experience (cellular, commercial telecom) are listed as a single required bullet; SIGINT is captured as the primary named domain.
GPS L1/L2, GNSS, and SATCOM appear together under 'Nice if you have' as examples of space-based signal familiarity; GPS L1/L2 is the primary with GNSS and SATCOM as alternatives.
QBPSK and BOC are listed together as preferred space-dominant modulations; QBPSK is primary with BOC as alternative.
The posting is tagged #LI-ONSITE, confirming the hybrid/on-site nature; remote=false is appropriate.
Active TS/SCI is an explicit hard gate stated twice in the posting.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): RF reverse engineering.
Requires a TS/SCI clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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