Flexible working:We offer a range of flexible working patterns, including offering full-time, part-time,and compressed hours to support your individual needs. While homeworking isn'tpossible due to the nature of the role, we can offer flexibility, such as variations instart and finish times, where business needs allow.About usGCHQ is an intelligence, cyber, and security agency with a mission to keep the UKsafe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyseand disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protectthe UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you'll do varied andfascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis onteamwork.The roleAs a Senior Radio Frequency (RF) Antenna Design Engineer, you'll work closely withour Principal RF Engineer on RF antenna design, while also contributing to widerelectronic hardware design, research, and testing. As part of a mixed team ofsoftware, hardware, and Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) engineers, you'llwork on projects ranging from embedded antenna design to propagation modelling.Responsibilities span component-level RF design involvement across the fulllifecycle from design to delivery, identifying and helping to mitigate technical risks,and producing high-quality design and test documentation. You'll also be involved inhardware Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and system-level testing and verification,contributing to future antenna and RF technique research, developing andmaintaining BASH/C wrapper helper scripts, and integrating with and testing avariety of capabilities.About youYou bring several years of experience in a similar role, preferably with practicalexperience in component-level Antenna design. Your background may also includeworking on matching networks, filter design, PA or LNA analysis and specification orother component-level electronic design. You also have: experience working with Vector Network Analysers and Smith Charts the ability to engage internal and external customers and work with otherorganisations a proactive mindset, with the motivation to spot opportunities, adapt quicklyand learn new skills experience in successfully delivering projects from design to deliveryExperience with scripting and basic coding (BASH, Python or C on Microcontrollers),along with familiarity with Microsoft Office and ANSYS, is desirable but not essential.We will provide comprehensive training to ensure you have the tools and knowledgeyou need to succeed.
Training and developmentThe first three days of your time with us will be dedicated to a comprehensivedepartment induction, designed to help you understand how things work and whodoes what.At GCHQ, we're committed to your growth and development. You'll have dedicatedtime and space for continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement, with upto 30% of your time available for personal development.We'll support your professional development, including opportunities to gainaccreditations such as Chartered Engineer (CEng) status if that's the route you wishto pursue. You'll also be assigned a buddy who'll provide guidance and supportthroughout your time with us.Your training and ongoing support will be tailored to you, as you'll be working within asmall team where development can be shaped around your needs. While mosttraining is delivered in-house, we also offer regular opportunities to top up yourknowledge through external training providers.You'll have the chance to either mentor a junior colleague or be mentored bysomeone more experienced, depending on what will best support your growth.Your learning will draw on the broad expertise across the team, and you'll also beencouraged to identify additional courses or learning opportunities that help deepenyour knowledge in specific areas.Throughout your career here, you'll have continued access to the support andresources needed to pursue relevant accreditations, ensuring you can grow in thedirection that's right for you.Rewards and benefitsWe offer a competitive salary between £47,866 to £56,082, dependent on your skillsand experience. This includes a concessionary payment of £2,658 and a skillspayment. All successful candidates receive a one-off recruitment bonus of £3,500.Other benefits include: 25 days' annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service,and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme an interest-free season ticket loan an excellent pension scheme a cycle to work scheme facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at somelocations) paid parental and adoption leaveEqual opportunitiesAt GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, weneed a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includesdiversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages,ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those withdisabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourageapplications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-representedin our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, peoplewith disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website:
We're Disability ConfidentGCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work andPensions 'Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers tothink differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain,and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident Leader, we aim to ensure thata fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essentialminimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us todo so. (This is known as Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role,the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are: evidence of successfully delivering a technical project or piece of work extensive component-level RF or Antenna Design experience experience with Vector Network Analysers and Smith Charts experience engaging with a range of different stakeholdersThere is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment processto enable you to do your best; see our website for information on reasonableadjustments (link) we can offer.What to expectOur recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a briefoverview of each stage, in order:
* Application sift
* Online Technical and Competency based interview, including a presentation
* if successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress tothe next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have receivedyour final job offer.Before you applyTo work at GCHQ you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality.Read about our eligibility criteria.(Penna link to appropriate website Eligibilitysections)This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting(DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Findout more about the vetting process. (PENNA link to org website vetting page).Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, youcan't take any recreational drugs, and you'll need to declare your previous drugusage at the relevant stage.Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address foryour contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondenceremain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, suchas your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help youto manage your application with us more securely.The role is based in Cheltenham, so you'll need to live within a commutabledistance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities beforesubmitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you arebased overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application.Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application.You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a closefamily member.