Senior Software Defined Radio (SDR) Engineer
Leidos
Arlington, Virginia
Contract
$107,900
RemoteSenior
Today, Electronic Warfare (EW) is a growing enterprise — protecting the warfighter and our national security against ever-adapting threats. Our division currently has an exciting opportunity for a Software Defined Radio (SDR) Engineer to perform design, development, and hardware/software integration in Arlington, VA for the Electronic Warfare Division.
Our division primarily focuses on research & development and advanced prototyping, transforming state-of-the-art signal processing algorithms into real-time software systems deployed on advanced RF platforms.
The successful candidate will be an individual contributor responsible for designing, developing, and integrating high-performance SDR solutions using Ettus Research USRP platforms. This role requires expertise in real-time RF signal processing, low-latency streaming architectures, and software development close to the hardware layer. The ideal candidate is comfortable building production-grade SDR systems from the ground up and optimizing them for demanding operational environments.
Primary Responsibilities
Design, develop, and deploy advanced SDR systems using Ettus Research USRP hardware
Develop high-performance SDR applications using:
C++
UHD (USRP Hardware Driver)
Implement and optimize:
Real-time DSP pipelines
Custom waveform generation
Modulation/demodulation chains
RF streaming architectures
High-throughput signal processing systems
Interface directly with:
FPGA-based SDR architectures
High-speed Ethernet transport layers
RF front ends and synchronization systems
Develop software for low-latency and real-time RF applications
Perform RF system integration, testing, calibration, and troubleshooting
Analyze and optimize:
Spectral performance
Timing synchronization
Throughput bottlenecks
RF impairments
Integrate SDR platforms into larger communications, sensing, or EW architectures
Produce technical documentation, interface definitions, and software architecture artifacts
Support lab and field testing activities, travel up to 15%
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in:
Electrical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Related technical discipline
Must have 8+ years of expereince including strong hands-on experience with:
Ettus Research USRP platforms (X310/X410, N320/N321, X440, B-Series platforms)
Strong proficiency in:
Modern C++
Python
Linux systems programming, including Linux performance optimization
Multithreaded and concurrent software architectures
Experience deploying systems with Red Hat Linux
Experience developing with:
UHD API
Real-time streaming systems
High-rate packet processing
Socket programming
Low-latency software architectures
Ettus RF Network On Chip (RFNoC) architecture
Strong understanding of:
RF fundamentals
Wireless communications systems
IQ signal processing
Digital modulation techniques
Wideband RF architectures
Spectrum analysis
Experience implementing:
OFDM
QPSK/QAM
Channel estimation
Synchronization algorithms
FFT/channelization pipelines
Adaptive filtering
Signal detection and classification
Time/frequency synchronization
Position requires an active Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with:
Electronic Warfare (EW)
SIGINT/ELINT systems
Tactical communications
Spectrum operations
Radar or RF sensing systems
Familiarity with:
Xilinx FPGA architectures
Vivado
Verilog/VHDL
Hardware acceleration pipelines
Experience with:
10/40/100 GigE transport
GPSDO/PPS synchronization
Distributed SDR architectures
Real-time operating systems
Familiarity with:
MIMO systems
Beamforming
SATCOM architectures
Active Top Secret clearance preferred
Desired Traits
Strong systems engineering mindset
Ability to troubleshoot complex RF/software interactions
Comfortable working directly with hardware in lab and field environments
Capable of building production-grade SDR software from the ground up
Strong debugging, optimization, and performance tuning skills
Self-starter capable of operating in fast-paced R&D environments
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.