Principal Digital Signal Processing Engineer, RF Payloads

Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA DEFENSE Full-time Posted Oct 6, 2026
Apply on True Anomaly (opens in a new tab) Sourced via job-boards.greenhouse.io · Posted 2026-10-06

About this role

True Anomaly is hiring a Principal Digital Signal Processing Engineer, RF Payloads, full-time, on-site in Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA, in the DEFENSE sector.

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

  • Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
  • What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
  • It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

BENEFITS & PERKS *

  • Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options
  • Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave
  • Fuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees
  • And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays
  • Equity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success.

*Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles

YOUR MISSION

True Anomaly is seeking a Principal Digital Signal Processing Engineer to lead the architecture, development, implementation, and integration of advanced DSP capabilities for space-based RF payloads.

In this role, you will develop real-time processing systems for high-rate complex I/Q data collected from RF sensors, phased arrays, SIGINT payloads, radar systems, and software-defined radios. You will own DSP efforts across the full development lifecycle—from algorithm development and modeling through implementation on embedded processors, FPGAs, GPUs, and other flight computing platforms.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader who can take algorithms from initial analysis through real-time implementation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, payload integration, and delivery. You will work closely with RF, antenna, FPGA, software, hardware, systems, and payload engineers to define architectures that meet demanding requirements for bandwidth, latency, memory, power, and computational resources.

Experience in one or more of the following areas is highly desirable: phased-array signal processing, digital beamforming, SIGINT, electronic warfare, radar, RF sensing, software-defined radio, communications, or geolocation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Define DSP architectures and technical roadmaps for RF payloads, including requirements, interfaces, implementation approaches, and verification strategies.
  • Develop and implement real-time DSP algorithms for high-rate complex I/Q data.
  • Design processing chains that include digital downconversion, channelization, polyphase filter banks, decimation, resampling, filtering, and spectral analysis.
  • Develop algorithms for signal detection, characterization, classification, modulation recognition, and signal parameter estimation.
  • Develop and evaluate algorithms for phased-array processing, digital beamforming, adaptive beamforming, direction finding, angle-of-arrival estimation, and adaptive nulling.
  • Support SIGINT, electronic warfare, RF sensing, and signal exploitation architectures.
  • Support radar signal processing, including pulse compression, range-Doppler processing, detection, tracking, and waveform analysis, as applicable.
  • Develop algorithms for frequency, phase, and timing synchronization, calibration, interference mitigation, and low-SNR signal processing.
  • Analyze real-world recorded and streaming I/Q data to evaluate system performance and troubleshoot signal-processing issues.
  • Develop high-fidelity simulations and test environments using MATLAB, Python, C++, or similar tools.
  • Translate floating-point algorithms into efficient fixed-point, embedded software, FPGA, GPU, DSP, or other hardware implementations.
  • Perform fixed-point, bit-true, quantization, bit-growth, overflow, dynamic range, and numerical accuracy analysis.
  • Optimize processing systems for throughput, latency, memory bandwidth, power, clock rate, and available computational resources.
  • Work with FPGA and software engineers to define hardware/software interfaces, data formats, timing requirements, memory architectures, and processing pipelines.
  • Develop production-quality software and firmware, including automated testing, code reviews, version control, and configuration management.
  • Develop and execute algorithm verification and validation plans using simulated, laboratory, field-collected, and hardware-in-the-loop data.
  • Support RF payload bring-up, hardware integration, system testing, environmental testing, and on-orbit commissioning.
  • Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for DSP, payload, and system-level performance issues.
  • Define and manage requirements, interfaces, technical documentation, design reviews, and verification closure.
  • Serve as the technical authority for payload signal processing in architecture reviews, design reviews, customer engagements, and program milestones.
  • Lead cross-functional technical execution across DSP, FPGA, RF, antenna, software, hardware, and systems engineering teams.
  • Mentor engineers and establish reusable DSP architectures, development tools, test infrastructure, and engineering processes.
  • Support customer engagements, proposal development, technical presentations, and new business capture.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical field. A Master’s degree or Ph.D. is preferred.
  • 10+ years of experience in digital signal processing, RF systems, radar, communications, SIGINT, electronic warfare, or a related technical field.
  • Extensive hands-on experience processing high-rate complex I/Q data from RF systems, sensors, radar, communications payloads, or software-defined radios.
  • Strong understanding of digital signal processing fundamentals, including sampling theory, filtering, Fourier transforms, spectral analysis, multirate processing, and statistical signal processing.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and implementing:
    • Digital downconverters
    • Channelizers
    • Polyphase filter banks
    • Decimation and resampling systems
    • Matched filters and pulse-compression algorithms
    • Detection and thresholding algorithms
    • Signal classification or modulation-recognition algorithms
    • Frequency, phase, and timing estimation algorithms
  • Experience developing real-time DSP systems for CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, DSPs, or heterogeneous embedded processing platforms.
  • Experience designing high-throughput processing systems with demanding bandwidth, latency, memory, power, and computational requirements.
  • Experience with fixed-point and floating-point modeling, quantization analysis, dynamic range, bit growth, overflow, and bit-true verification.
  • Proficiency with C++, Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages.

Description from True Anomaly's official posting. Always confirm details on the company careers page.

Apply on True Anomaly Applications go directly to True Anomaly. Curated by Larry Sherwood Jr.

About True Anomaly

True Anomaly

Company in the mobility sector tracked nightly on the Mobility Jobs board.

Ready to apply?
Apply on True Anomaly (opens in a new tab) You'll be redirected to job-boards.greenhouse.io to complete your application.

Not the one? Get new DEFENSE roles by email, weekday mornings, only when something new lands.

Larry Sherwood Jr.

About Larry Sherwood Jr.

Talent Acquisition Leader specializing in mobility, EV, and frontier tech. 1,000+ hires across roles ranging from production technicians to VPs, including 48 hires for the AFEELA U.S. launch at Sony Honda Mobility (98% offer acceptance, $1.5M+ agency savings). SHRM-CP certified. Build recruiting functions from scratch, no agencies.

SONY HONDA MOBILITYFISKERSHRM-CP1,000+ HIRES

Currently open to senior TA leadership roles in the United States. larrysherwoodjr.com · Resume (PDF)

Read Larry's guides →
Job no longer open? Let me know

Curated by Larry Sherwood Jr. on the free Mobility Jobs board. Pulled nightly from company applicant tracking systems. Apply directly on the source link above to be considered.