RF Systems Engineer

Optiver builds long-range HF communication systems where RF performance directly influences end-to-end trading system performance. We are looking for an RF Systems Engineer to design, integrate, characterize and improve the RF subsystems behind these systems.

Your focus will span two key areas:

• Low-power RF receive systems: filtering, amplification, signal conditioning, and integration with antennas and antenna arrays.

• High-power RF transmit systems: power amplification, impedance matching, transmission lines, protection systems, and integration with antennas and antenna arrays.

Your primary responsibility is the end-to-end analog RF subsystem: you own its design and performance, and dive into individual components whenever that is what it takes to improve the whole. You should be equally comfortable with equations, models, simulation, laboratory measurements and real-system data.

You will work closely with system, algorithm, digital hardware, software, and test engineers, translating system objectives into RF requirements and RF measurements into engineering decisions.

What you'll do

• Own the design, integration, characterization and performance of the analog RF receive and transmit chains

• Work with high-power transmit hardware, including power amplifiers, combiners, couplers, transmission lines and protection systems. Characterize gain, efficiency, linearity, harmonics, thermal behavior and load-mismatch tolerance

• Design and optimize impedance-matching and tuning solutions for changing antenna loads, balancing bandwidth, power handling, efficiency and reflected power

• Develop and integrate low-power receive chains, including LNAs, filters, switches and matching networks

• Work with antennas and antenna arrays: impedance, bandwidth, radiation performance, feed systems, phasing and mutual coupling. Simulate antennas and antenna arrays with electromagnetic simulation tools such as NEC, FEKO, CST or HFSS, and validate simulations against measurements

• Combine simulation, analytical modeling and measurement in Python to identify dominant system limitations, and work with system, algorithm and modeling engineers to investigate trade-offs and validate improvements across link budgets, cascaded gain and noise, nonlinear effects and array behavior

• Specify requirements toward suppliers: translate system objectives into clear specifications, find and evaluate antenna manufacturers and RF vendors, and manage supplier engagements from first contact through quotation, delivery and acceptance testing

• Define and execute test strategies at component, subsystem and integration level, covering test setups, acceptance criteria, calibration and measurement uncertainty

Who you are

• A bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Applied Physics or a related discipline, typically with 3+ years of hands-on experience in RF hardware or systems

• A strong foundation in analog RF, including S-parameters, impedance matching, and cascaded gain and noise. You understand how antenna impedance and load mismatch affect system performance

• A good understanding of receiver noise figure, sensitivity, dynamic range and linearity, and of antenna radiation patterns, array phasing and mutual coupling

• Practical measurement skills with VNAs, spectrum or signal analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators and RF power meters. You can design meaningful, repeatable measurement setups

• An analytical approach: you describe RF behavior using equations, simplified models and numerical simulations, and test your predictions against measurements

• A solid foundation in Python for analysis, modeling and measurement automation, and an understanding of DSP fundamentals such as sampling, filtering and spectral analysis

• Clear technical communication and an organized approach to requirements, supplier coordination and project delivery, with a willingness to develop your project management skills

• The ability to take open-ended engineering problems from investigation through design, experimentation and validation, and explain trade-offs across disciplines

Nice to have

• Experience with kilowatt-class RF power amplifiers and high-power RF infrastructure

• Practical experience designing, modeling or integrating antennas and antenna arrays

• Experience with RF circuit or electromagnetic simulation tools such as NEC, FEKO, CST, HFSS, ADS or AWR

• Experience with automated RF measurement systems, EMI/EMC or RF regulatory testing

No prior trading or financial experience is needed – our onboarding program will kick-start your career at Optiver and support you in gaining all the relevant knowledge about our business.

Who we are
At Optiver, our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilizing force no matter the market conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 70+ exchanges across the globe.

What you'll get
You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, where you’ll be surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, working collectively to tackle the toughest problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• A performance-based bonus structure, enabling all of our employees to benefit from our global profit pool.
• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 50 different countries.
• 25 paid vacation days in your first year, increasing to 30 from your second year onwards.
• Training opportunities, discounts on health insurance, and fully paid first-class commuting expenses.
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, world-class barista coffee, in-house physio and chair massages, organized sports and leisure activities, and Friday afternoon drinks.
• Training and continuous learning opportunities, including access to conferences and tech events.

How to apply
Apply directly via the form below. If you have any questions feel free to contact our Recruitment team via our recruitment inquiry form.

Please note:

• We do not require any assistance from third-parties including agencies in the recruitment of this role
• We cannot accept applications via email

Diversity statement
Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.