Wireless Communications Engineer (SDR)
SkySafe
Marketing & Communications, Sales & Business Development
San Diego, CA, USA
USD 145k-200k / year + Equity
Posted on Feb 12, 2026
About SkySafe
SkySafe is the leader in drone detection and airspace intelligence, delivering unmatched visibility into drone activity. As the only company offering advanced drone detection, deep analytics, and forensics, SkySafe enables organizations to detect, analyze, and act on drone activity with precision in real time. Its cloud-based SaaS platform provides comprehensive drone data, helping distinguish between authorized drones and potential threats. By transforming complex drone data into actionable insight, SkySafe empowers organizations to act with clarity and confidence and provides the intelligence needed for smarter decision-making and safer skies.
About the Role
At SkySafe, we’re passionate about building innovative solutions that push boundaries and solve complex problems in the UAS space. We’re looking for an experienced SDR Wireless Communications / Modems Engineer to join our small, high-impact team. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in implementing L1/L2 (physical + MAC) layers of wireless communication systems using SDR techniques. In this role, a successful candidate will work alongside our reverse engineering team to implement demodulation and decoding for various wireless protocols, as well as to independently optimize and improve existing SDR modem code.
Responsibilities
- Improve and evolve SkySafe’s industry leading SDR-based systems for drone detection and tracking
- Develop, optimize, and maintain signal detection, demodulation, and decoding algorithms
- Build software modems, producing working solutions from information provided by reverse engineers
- Optimize existing SDR modems, working alongside other engineers to improve processing performance and RF performance (sensitivity) for existing modems
- Support operational requirements and participate in the on-call operations schedule
- Work with the software and sensors team to monitor and improve field deployed modem performance
Requirements
- 5+ years of relevant experience
- Strong background in signal processing, communication systems, information theory, and channel coding
- Demonstrated ability to implement complex wireless systems, preferably including OFDM and MIMO
- Proven track record of independently delivering solutions in research, development, or operational settings
- Background in SDR modem implementation using C++ and Python
- Proficient with Linux systems
- Proficient in software development practices: Git, testing, automation, observability, metrics, issue tracking, code reviews, etc.
- This position requires access to technology, materials, software or hardware that is controlled by US export laws. In order to be eligible for this position, you must be a US person under US export laws or, eligible for approval for a U.S. Government export license. A US Person includes a US citizen, lawful Permanent Resident, refugee or asylee.
Personal Qualities
- Highly self-motivated and resourceful; able to take ownership and move projects forward independently
- Strong communication and collaboration skills; comfortable working in a distributed team environment
- Ability to manage time effectively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced setting
Nice-to-Have
- Experience with NI (Ettus) SDRs, covering the RF design, FPGA firmware, and intricacies of UHD and RFNoC
- Familiarity with one or more modern wireless standards (LTE, 5G NR, WiFi, Bluetooth, GNSS, etc.)
- Experience with signals analysis / reverse engineering
- Familiarity with SDR processing offload techniques (FPGA, GPU, etc.)
Within 1 Month, You Will
- Complete onboarding and gain a strong understanding of SkySafe’s mission, products, and technical architecture
- Become familiar with existing SDR modem implementations and field-deployed systems
- Set up your development environment and begin contributing to modem analysis or improvements
Within 3 Months, You Will
- Contribute meaningful improvements to existing demodulation or decoding pipelines
- Collaborate with reverse engineers to translate protocol insights into working modem components
- Participate in performance optimization and validation of SDR systems using real-world data
Within 6 Months, You Will
- Independently design and deploy enhancements to SDR modem performance or new protocol support
- Integrate your work into production systems and support field validation efforts
- Take ownership of specific modem components or signal processing pipelines
Within 12 Months, You Will
- Lead the development and optimization of multiple SDR modem features used in production
- Play a key role in shaping the technical direction of SkySafe’s wireless detection capabilities
- Mentor teammates and contribute to improving engineering best practices and workflows
Why Join Us?
Competitive salary and benefits, including full health coverage, unlimited PTO, and flexible work hours. A supportive and innovative team environment that values collaboration and creativity. The chance to deliver high-impact solutions, contributing to the success of a small, fast-moving team where your work will make a tangible difference
If you're excited about the prospect of pushing the boundaries of what's possible in an entirely new industry, then SkySafe might be right for you!
We do not work with outside staffing agencies
This position requires access to technology, materials, software or hardware that is controlled by US export laws. In order to be eligible for this position, you must be a US person under US export laws or, eligible for approval for a U.S. Government export license. A US Person includes a US citizen, lawful Permanent Resident, refugee or asylee.
Compensation range $145,000 – $200,000
Our salary ranges are based on paying competitively for our size and industry. Salary is just one part of our total compensation package that includes equity, perks & benefits, and development opportunities at SkySafe. Individual pay decisions are based on several factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, geography, and balancing internal equity relative to other SkySafers.