RF Design for Test Engineer (PCB / Microwave)
This range is provided by Searley Owen. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range
Salary: Flexible for the right candidate
A technology business designing and manufacturing semiconductor ICs and RF PCB assemblies for global communications markets is seeking an engineer to join the team focusing on design-for-test at RF PCB level. This is not a “production test operator” role — you’ll work closely with engineering to ensure RF boards and assemblies are testable, measurable and manufacturable, and you’ll develop the supporting test approach and hardware alongside that.
The role
You’ll sit at the intersection of RF board-level engineering and test development, supporting products from early design through to production. Key elements include:
* Working with engineers on RF PCB-level design-for-test, including measurement access, calibration approaches and test strategy
* Supporting or contributing to PCB-level design activities (layout review, stack‑up considerations, transmission line structures, connectorisation, test points, etc.)
* Developing and refining RF test approaches and methodologies to validate boards/subsystems
* Designing/supporting test hardware (e.g., DUT/load boards, fixtures, adapters)
* Using RF measurements to debug and improve designs (e.g., S‑parameters, matching, stability)
* Supporting production and engineering with structured investigations where test results indicate design or process issues
* Creating clear documentation (test methods, procedures, reports) and supporting continuous improvement
Essential skills / experience
* Strong board‑level RF/microwave engineering background (not just system‑level test)
* Confident understanding of RF fundamentals including: Smith Chart, S‑Parameters, Microstrip/Stripline
* Practical lab capability with VNA / Vector Network Analyzer and spectrum analyser measurements
* Strong communication and documentation skills
* PCB design exposure (ideally Altium)
* RF simulation/design tools (e.g., Keysight ADS)
* Version control (Git/SVN)
* 25 days holiday + bank holidays
* Death in service (x4 salary)
* Free on‑site parking
* A genuinely great place to work with real autonomy — you’ll have the freedom to use your imagination and initiative to test, integrate and solve problems, rather than being boxed into rigid processes
Seniority level
* Entry level
Employment type
* Full‑time
Job function
* Quality Assurance
Industries
* Semiconductor Manufacturing, Computers and Electronics Manufacturing, and Communications Equipment Manufacturing
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