Staff RF Signal Processing Engineer

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems purpose-built for today’s realities. Designed and built by top U.S. military veterans and Silicon Valley innovators, CHAOS Industries’ products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. In a world where technological threats move at unprecedented speed, CHAOS Industries delivers advanced sensing and detection solutions that give the ultimate advantage: time.   

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised $1B in total funding from leading investors including 8VC, Accel, and NEA. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com. 

Role Overview:

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Staff RF Signal Processing Software Engineer to contribute to the successful development of our electromagnetic warfare product line. This role is critical to transforming our radar systems into sensing systems that detect, classify, and geolocate all RF emissions in the environment using advanced digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms. The Senior Engineer will contribute to the Spectrum Sensing Team in the development of algorithms, modeling, software integration, and the execution of field demonstrations of the technology. They will collaborate closely with Business Development (BD), Production, and other Engineering teams.

Responsibilities: 

As a key contributor to the Spectrum Sensing Team, the Senior Engineer will play an integral role in developing and redefining the passive radar system into a distributed spectrum sensing system, with a focus on software and algorithm development. The day-to-day will be diverse, engaging, and intellectually stimulating, with a direct impact on pushing the boundaries of sensing technology and application. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop, implement, and refine advanced DSP algorithms to detect, identify, and analyze RF signals
• Develop and implement algorithms to enhance signal geolocation accuracy, including direction finding (DF), time difference of arrival (TDOA) and multilateration (MLAT) techniques
• Innovate and develop techniques utilizing coherent, distributed sensing to improve signal geolocation accuracy, including advanced beamforming and time-domain processing
• Model and simulate sensor performance using software tools (MATLAB, Python, and GNU Radio) to predict and optimize system capabilities
• Integrate and test signal processing software with underlying RF/SDR hardware and host processing platforms
• This role will require periodic travel, up to 30%

Minimum Requirements:

• B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related field
• 5+ years of relevant development experience
• Experience working with RF sensing systems (active or passive) and advanced signal processing techniques
• Strong theoretical understanding and practical application of signal processing techniques (e.g., beamforming, FFT analyses, matched filtering, multilateration processing, cyclostationary analysis)
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python, C++, or MATLAB for algorithm development and integration into current code base
• Experience with software defined radios (SDR) and associated signal processing toolkits
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly document technical details and present findings
• Must be able to work on-site 3-5 days per week in Hawthorne CA or Washington D.C.
• U.S. citizen
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements: 

• M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related field
• Current U.S. security clearance
• Expertise with Python for data analysis, algorithm implementation, and software integration
• Experience with software testing to ensure it meets the functional specifications
• Expertise with electromagnetic spectrum sensing and classification techniques (e.g., machine learning for signal classification)
• Experience with agile development tools like JIRA and Confluence
• Experience in DoD, military, or other Government environment performing in a related subject area (e.g. engineering, computer science, etc.) in a fast-paced, dynamic environment 

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

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