Communications Systems Engineer
US$110,000 – US$151,000 / yr base salary
Posted 9 Oct 2026
Advertised as “Senior Communications Systems Engineer”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 7+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- On-Site
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$110,000 – US$151,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyAerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering (or related)
Study levelBachelor's
CertificationsINCOSE Certification
Field of studyAerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering (or related)
Study levelMaster's
CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.
Role Overview
As a Communications Systems Engineer, you will own the connectivity backbone of CHAOS's fielded systems — 5G/cellular, SATCOM (e.g. Starlink), point-to-point wireless, and tactical mesh radios. You will bring rigorous systems engineering practice to the comms domain: verifiable requirements with traceability, defined architectures and interfaces, disciplined trade studies, and verification from factory test through field deployment. Your mission is to ensure every communications solution is selected, qualified, validated, and ready for field deployment.
You will also keep CHAOS ahead of the pace of commercial and tactical comms innovation, continuously scanning the landscape for emerging technologies — new radios, waveforms, multi-orbit SATCOM constellations, and software-defined networking approaches — and driving the most promising into the product baseline. This role is full-time onsite at our office in El Segundo, CA.
Responsibilities
Systems Engineering
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Translate mission, customer, and business needs into verifiable, traceable system and subsystem requirements for connectivity
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Develop and maintain connectivity architectures, interfaces, design descriptions, and ICDs across cellular/5G, SATCOM (LEO/MEO/GEO), point-to-point wireless, and tactical mesh networks
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Perform design analysis and verification — RF link budgets, key performance parameters (EIRP, G/T, C/N₀, Eb/N₀, throughput), antenna placement and pointing, handover behavior, and regulatory compliance
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Lead trade studies weighing performance, size/weight/power, cost, availability, and compliance — including forward-looking needs such as non-line-of-sight links, elevated relays, and GPS-denied synchronization
Hardware Selection & Qualification