Full-Time
Radio Frequency Engineer
Updated on 8/19/2026
Riverside Research
501-1,000 employees
Not-for-profit defense-focused scientific research
Compensation Overview
$91k - $175k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
Dayton, OH, USA
In Person
Travel is not expected to exceed two to four times a year.
US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
 Electrical Engineering (1) |
|---|
 Hardware Engineering (1) |
|---|
Get referred to Riverside Research
See people who can refer or advise you
- A Secret clearance is required to start, with the ability to obtain Top Secret security clearance and all required program access approvals.
- A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical area with 5+ years of relevant experience, or a related technical master's degree with 3+ years of relevant experience, or a PhD in a related field.
- Experience in applied signal processing or radio frequency testing.
- Strong understanding of signal processing theory.
- Software programming experience using Python, C, or an equivalent language.
- Experience with embedded hardware using VHDL or Verilog and embedded software using C or Assembly.
- U.S. citizenship is required.
- Configure and operate radio frequency test equipment to capture RF emissions from microelectronic devices for analysis.
- Implement signal filtering and amplification for optimal signal collection.
- Develop custom digital signal processing techniques in software and hardware using field-programmable gate arrays.
- Study cyber-physical threats to embedded systems published in scientific journals and presented at conferences.
- Document findings in technical reports and presentations.
- Develop whitepapers and presentations to communicate research findings.
- Contribute to proposals for new research in similar or related technology areas.
- Provide technical mentorship to junior researchers supporting the programs.
- Work collaboratively with customers, multidisciplinary research partners, and Riverside Research business, engineering, and technology teams on complex research and development projects.
- Experience with radio frequency hardware design using systems-on-chip.
- Python or other scripting experience.
- Previous experience working in a secure U.S. Government facility.
Riverside Research is a not-for-profit scientific research organization that supports the U.S. Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. It conducts independent research and development across Centers of Excellence such as Biomedical Engineering, Cyber, Electromagnetic Sciences, and ISR, using modeling, simulation, assessment, and program management to produce mission-focused analyses and capabilities. The company differentiates itself through independent, objective, defense- and IC-aligned work without commercial product pressure, spanning multiple technical domains rather than a single product line. Its goal is to advance national security by delivering rigorous research and trusted technical solutions for defense and intelligence needs.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$8.7M
Headquarters
Lexington, Kentucky
Founded
1967
Get referred to Riverside Research
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- March 2026 RavenEye launch strengthens AI demand across intelligence workflows and analyst triage.
- May 2026 Plexus partnership commercializes Aegis R52L faster than nine months.
- March 2025 Cog Systems acquisition plus HIREVets 2025 award support recruiting and retention.
What critics are saying
- DIU's $160M contract ends by 2029 if Riverside misses transition milestones.
- NASIC's eight-year $866M IDIQ pits Riverside against Apogee, KBR Wyle, and SPA.
- Government spending concentration creates existential exposure if Defense or IC priorities shift.
What makes Riverside Research unique
- Fairfax nonprofit with 2026 contracts spanning DIU, NASIC, DARPA, and Air Force.
- RavenEye and Aegis R52L show proprietary mission software and secure hardware integration.
- Cog Systems acquisition deepens secure virtualization and cryptographic capabilities for mobile and IoT.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, & vision plan
403(b) Retirement Plan
Non-contributory Retirement Plan
Flexible Spending Plan
Long-term Care Plan
Generous PTO
Parental Leave
Military Leave
Tuition Reimbursement
Student Loan Repayment
Identity Theft Protection
Life Insurance
Short & long-term Disability
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 14%1 year growth
↑ 14%2 year growth
↑ 14%Riverside Research, a national security nonprofit, has opened a new office in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. The company relocated from its previous Champaign location to a 2,800-square-foot facility at 2021 S. 1st Street, supporting 10 employees. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Riverside Research invested $80,000 in office renovations and will invest over $250,000 during its three-year lease term. The new location focuses on computational electromagnetics, software development, physics-based modelling and simulation, and radar systems. The move places employees directly on the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign campus, providing access to talent in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and computer engineering. The nonprofit serves the Department of War and Intelligence Community through its Open Innovation Centre.
Riverside Research partners with Plexus. 0 Comments On May 19, Riverside Research announced a strategic partnership with Plexus Corp., a global leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing highly complex products in demanding regulatory environments, to rapidly develop designs for reusable modular-based hardware and software for the intelligence and defense markets. This partnership will deliver technology that uses a collaborative rapid prototyping approach to create adaptable, ultra-secure, connected devices. This is a critical step in addressing security concerns and decreasing time-to-market for such devices, which is essential as adversaries' technologies swiftly adapt to challenge the nation's security architecture, the company said. In their first joint effort, Riverside Research and Plexus developed the Aegis R52L Enhanced Retransmission Device, designed to secure end-user devices. Together, they moved from the initial concept to identifying requirements, developing prototypes and planning for full-scale manufacturing in under nine months. This pace sets a new standard for bringing these commercially viable technologies to market. "Partnering with Riverside Research aligns with our vision to help create the products that build a better world by enabling the rapid deployment of secure, cutting-edge technologies that protect freedom, people and the dedicated soldiers who serve our nation," said Jim Stokes, Plexus market sector vice president, aerospace/defense. "We are committed to accelerating their time-to-market through our integrated engineering and manufacturing solutions." "Too often, industry has been forced to navigate the complex ecosystem of defense contracts to fulfill the entirety of the product development process," said Carl Nerup, vice president, business development, at Riverside Research. "With Riverside Research and Plexus aligned, the marketplace now has an innovation engine. Together, we're combining our companies' world-class problem-solving abilities to guide customers smoothly from concept to product." Your competitors read IC News each day. Shouldn't you? Learn more about its subscription options, and keep up with every move in the IC contracting space.
Riverside Research has announced a strategic partnership with Plexus Corp to rapidly develop reusable modular hardware and software for intelligence and defence markets. The collaboration uses rapid prototyping to create adaptable, ultra-secure connected devices. In their first joint project, the companies developed the Aegis R52L Enhanced Retransmission Device, moving from concept to manufacturing plans in under nine months. The device is designed to secure end-user devices. Riverside Research is a national security nonprofit serving the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Plexus Corp is a global manufacturer serving aerospace, defence and healthcare sectors with over 20,000 employees across 27 facilities. The partnership aims to accelerate time-to-market for commercially viable secure technologies.
Riverside Research accelerates the intelligence cycle with raveneye, an agentic AI framework. From the lab to the field: network modernization experiment. Mar 16, 2026 Learn about its network modernization capabilities with Dr. Mike Clark, Director of the Secure & Resilient Systems Group at Riverside Research. This IRAD research focuses on allowing warfighters to use commercial infrastructure to operate through denied environments. Aimed at solving this problem for the U.S. Army, Riverside Research Institute participate in the annual NetModX event, which they host. Featured Riverside Research author(s). Michael R. Clark. Dr. Michael R. Clark is a director at Riverside Research and leads the Secure and Resilient Systems (SRS) research group. He has conducted research in a variety of areas including cryptography, wireless systems, hypervisors, and machine learning. He holds a PhD from the Air Force Institute of Technology, an MS from the University of Utah, and a BS from Brigham Young University, all in computer science. Disclaimer The above listed authors are current or former employees of Riverside Research. Authors affiliated with other institutions are listed on the full paper. It is the responsibility of the author to list material disclosures in each paper, where applicable - they are not listed here. This academic papers directory is published in accordance with federal guidance to make public and available academic research funded by the federal government.
Riverside Research, an independent nonprofit focused on national security, has appointed Ralph Semmel to its board of trustees.