Job Title: Director of Engineering
Position Summary:
Assured Space Access, Inc. is currently seeking a Director of Engineering who will lead the development and execution of advanced 5G, RF, and phased-array antenna systems for commercial and defense applications. This role is responsible for overseeing multidisciplinary engineering teams, driving technical excellence across the full product lifecycle, and ensuring delivery of high-reliability systems that meet demanding performance, quality, and regulatory requirements.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader with deep experience in RF systems, antenna design, and complex hardware development, combined with strong people leadership and program execution skills.
Location:
On-Site
Assured Space Innovations Lab (ASIL)
Irvine, California
Key Responsibilities:
- Engineering Leadership & Team Development.
- Lead and manage multidisciplinary engineering teams including RF, antenna, digital, analog, firmware, mechanical, systems, and test engineering
- Recruit, mentor, and develop senior engineers and engineering managers.
- Establish clear technical ownership, performance expectations, and career development paths
- Build a culture of engineering rigor, accountability, and innovation.
Technical Oversight & Architecture:
- Provide technical leadership for 5G, RF, and phased-array antenna systems.
- Review and approve system architectures, antenna designs, RF front-end designs, and integration strategies.
- Ensure proper trade studies, simulations, and design validation are performed.
- Guide decisions related to beamforming, calibration, thermal management, EMC/EMI, and system-level performance.
- Balance innovation with manufacturability, reliability, and cost targets
Program Execution & Delivery:
- Own engineering schedules, budgets, and resource allocation.
- Ensure on-time delivery of engineering milestones and customer commitments.
- Identify technical, schedule, and resource risks and drive mitigation plans on all product development efforts.
- Coordinate internal engineering teams and external suppliers, foundries, CMOs, and partners.
- Ensure engineering compliance with applicable standards and regulations, including: ITAR / EAR.
DoD and defense customer requirements:
- Environmental and reliability standards (e.g., thermal, vibration, shock).
- Support proposal efforts, design reviews, and customer technical interchange meetings (TIMs).
- Establish and enforce engineering documentation, configuration management, and revision control processes.
Process & Infrastructure:
- Define and improve engineering workflows, tools, and best practices.
- Implement design review processes, test strategies, and verification plans.
- Ensure proper handoff from R&D to manufacturing and sustainment.
- Drive continuous improvement across engineering execution and quality.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Work closely with Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, and Business Development.
- Translate customer and mission requirements into executable engineering plans.
- Support customer engagements, demonstrations, and fielded system support as needed.
Strategic & Technical Planning:
- Contribute to long-term technology and product roadmaps.
- Aligning engineering priorities with company growth, customer needs, and market strategy.
- Support capital planning, hiring forecasts, and determine make/buy decisions.
Required Qualifications:
Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, RF Engineering, or related field (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred).
- 10+ years of direct engineering experience in RF, antennas, or wireless systems.
- 5+ years in an engineering leadership role managing complex hardware programs.
- Strong background in 5G, RF systems, phased-array antennas, or beamforming technologies.
- Experience delivering products through full lifecycle: concept → design → test → production.
- Proven ability to lead technically complex, schedule-driven programs.
- U.S. citizenship required and ability to obtain secret level security clearance.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
- Experience supporting defense or aerospace programs.
- Familiarity with active electronically steered arrays (AESA) and multi-band antenna systems.
- Knowledge of microwave systems, high-speed digital/RF integration, and mixed-signal design.
- Experience working with government customers and prime contractors.
- Startup or growth-stage company experience
