RF Engineer- VLF SME - Huntsville, Alabama

Job Description

Job Description

Davidson is distinguished in the aerospace and missile defense industry, in part, because of its excellence in hiring exceptional experts, engineers and software developers dedicated to delivering advanced, intelligent technology solutions in defense of our nation.

Davidson is seeking an experienced RF Engineer with VLF experience in Huntsville, Alabama to provide deep domain expertise supporting the development of ML-enabled C2 tools for VLF transmission systems. The RF Engineer will ensure that advanced Al/ML capabilities applied to a VLF communications system remain grounded in real-world physics, operational constraints, and safety considerations. As the internal VLF Subject Matter Expert, you will translate complex VLF propagation and system behavior into guidance that software engineers and data scientists can include in their development. You will provide the authoritative domain perspective that shapes how models are designed, constrained, validated, and ultimately trusted in this mission critical modernization effort.

*Contingent Upon Award*

Job Responsibilities:  

• Provide domain expertise on
  • VLF propagation mechanisms
  • Ionospheric and ground conductivity effects
  • Environmental and space-weather impacts on VLF performance
• Support development of ML models used for:
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Auto-tuning of antennas and transmit parameters
  • Weather and propagation avoidance strategies
• Advise on realistic operating constraints, failure modes, and edge cases
• Validate model assumptions, features, and outputs from a VLF perspective
• Translate VLF physics and operational knowledge into inputs usable by ML and software teams
• Define and validate operational envelopes, thresholds, and safety constraints
• Support development of tuning and control strategies that respect VLF system limitations
• Assist in root-cause analysis for performance degradation or anomalies
• Support integration, test, and operational evaluations as a VLF authority
• Review and contribute to technical documentation and design reviews

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Physics, or a related field (or equivalent operational experience)
  
• 10+ years of experience working with RF transmission systems
  
• Deep understanding of:
  • VLF transmission and propagation
  • Antenna systems and tuning at VLF
  • Environmental and ionospheric impacts of VLF performance
• Must be a U.S. citizen

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting system modeling or simulation efforts
  
• Familiarity with Al/ML-assisted decision-making systems

Clearance:

• Currently holds an Active DoD Secret Clearance or is able to obtain a Secret Clearance