Job Title: Principal Test Engineer (Radio Frequency)
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Relocation Opportunity)
A defence company based in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Principal Test Engineer with deep expertise in RF radio systems, system-level testing, and complex test automation. This is a senior hands-on role focused on developing and executing end-to-end test strategies for advanced RF and SDR communication systems.
Key responsibilities
- Translate system-level requirements into measurable test plans and verification procedures.
- Design and execute end-to-end testing across lab and field environments.
- Work closely with system architects, waveform, software, and hardware teams to define test cases and validate system performance.
- Characterize and troubleshoot RF and SDR system performance, including compliance and operational issues.
- Design and develop complex test automation solutions and improve automated verification processes.
- Plan and build hardware/software lab environments required for system integration and testing.
What we're looking for
- 10+ years of experience in RF test and measurement, with a strong focus on RF radio systems.
- Proven experience testing complete RF/SDR systems, not just individual RF components or filters.
- Strong hands-on knowledge of RF measurements and troubleshooting, including use of spectrum analysers, network analysers, channel simulators, and related lab equipment.
- Experience with system integration, software/hardware validation, and debugging complex RF platforms.
- Demonstrated ability to design scalable and sophisticated test automation frameworks, not just basic automation scripts.
- Experience with Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or similar languages for automation and test development.
- Experience with lab planning, infrastructure, and budgeting.
Ideal candidate
The successful candidate will have broad RF system testing expertise, strong RF fundamentals, and a track record of building advanced automated test solutions for complex communication systems. Candidates whose experience is limited to specific RF components, basic RF testing, or simple automation tasks are unlikely to be suitable for this role.
