Antenna Design EngineerOverview

We are seeking an experienced Antenna Design Engineer to join a leading Defence and Aerospace organisation based in Buckinghamshire. This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge RF, microwave, radar, avionics, and communications systems that support critical defence and national security programmes.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the design, simulation, development, testing, and optimisation of advanced antenna systems across a range of military and aerospace applications. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams including RF, Electronics, Systems, Mechanical, and EMC specialists to deliver high-performance solutions meeting demanding operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop antenna systems for Defence, Aerospace and Communications applications.
• Perform antenna modelling, simulation and optimisation using industry-standard EM tools.
• Design antennas covering HF, VHF, UHF, L, S, C, X and Ku band applications.
• Conduct electromagnetic analysis and performance assessments.
• Develop phased arrays, multifunction antennas, airborne antennas and conformal antenna solutions.
• Generate technical reports, design documentation and engineering artefacts.
• Support antenna prototyping, integration and qualification testing.
• Undertake RF measurements and validation in laboratory and anechoic chamber environments.
• Analyse antenna performance characteristics including:
  • Gain
  • Radiation patterns
  • Efficiency
  • Bandwidth
  • Polarisation
  • VSWR
  • Impedance matching
• Support system-level integration with RF front-end and communications equipment.
• Work alongside certification and compliance teams to ensure regulatory and military standards are achieved.
• Participate in design reviews and customer technical meetings.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Degree qualified in:
  • Electronic Engineering
  • RF Engineering
  • Telecommunications Engineering
  • Physics
  • Mathematics or equivalent STEM discipline
• Proven experience designing and developing RF and microwave antenna systems.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Electromagnetic theory
  • RF propagation
  • Microwave engineering
  • Antenna theory
• Experience using EM simulation tools such as:
  • CST Microwave Studio
  • HFSS (Ansys)
  • FEKO
  • ADS
  • EMPro
• Knowledge of antenna measurement techniques and RF testing.
• Familiarity with network analysers, spectrum analysers and RF test equipment.
• Ability to interpret complex technical specifications and requirements.
• Experience producing engineering documentation to a high standard.

Desirable Experience

• Defence, Aerospace or Avionics experience.
• Active or previously held SC Clearance.
• Phased Array Antenna design.
• AESA Radar systems.
• Electronic Warfare (EW) systems.
• SATCOM antenna technologies.
• Airborne communication systems.
• UAV/UAS antenna integration.
• Missile guidance or radar programmes.
• MIMO and beamforming technologies.
• EMC/EMI compliance testing.
• Antenna integration into harsh environments.

Key Technologies

• RF & Microwave Systems
• Antenna Design
• Phased Arrays
• Beamforming
• Electronic Warfare
• Radar Systems
• SATCOM
• Avionics Communication Systems
• HFSS
• CST Microwave Studio
• FEKO
• EMC/EMI
• RF Testing
• Electromagnetic Simulation
• Defence Communications

Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Self-motivated with a collaborative approach.
• Comfortable working within highly regulated Defence environments.
• Capable of managing multiple work packages simultaneously.