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Radiofrequency Engineer
Posted May 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time you led troubleshooting on a high-power rf system that was down. How did you narrow it down?
What they are checking: Whether they work methodically under pressure when beam time for users is being lost every hour the system is down.
Describe an R&D effort you planned and led. How did you set goals and decide when a design was ready to go into operation?
What they are checking: Whether they can lead development work independently and judge when something is mature enough for a user facility.
How do you explain an rf fault and its fix to the Operations and Analysis Group, who may not be rf specialists?
What they are checking: Whether they can communicate root causes clearly to the people who run the machine and report on its uptime.
What would you do
An SSA tower keeps tripping a few times a week with no clear pattern. What data would you pull and what would you check first?
What they are checking: Whether they can turn intermittent faults into evidence through logging and fault analysis instead of guessing and swapping parts.
How would you write maintenance and operating guidelines for SSA systems so that operators and technicians actually follow them?
What they are checking: Whether they can turn engineering knowledge into clear procedures that people on shift can use safely.
If you could improve one thing about the reliability of an accelerator rf system, how would you decide what that one thing should be?
What they are checking: Whether they prioritize improvements using fault data and downtime impact rather than what is most interesting to work on.
About the work
Walk me through how you would design a solid-state rf power amplifier stage for something in the 350 MHz range, from device choice to combining.
What they are checking: Whether they understand the real design chain for high-power solid-state amplifiers rather than just one isolated piece of it.
What circuit simulation tools have you used to optimize amplifier performance, and how did you know the model matched what you measured on the bench?
What they are checking: Whether they trust simulation blindly or close the loop with measurements, which matters when hardware is expensive and slow to build.
How would you design an interlock system to protect a high-power rf cavity and its amplifiers from reflected power or arcing?
What they are checking: Whether they think about protection as a layered system with fast response times, since a missed trip can destroy costly components.
How do you handle heat and thermal design in solid-state amplifier modules running near their limits?
What they are checking: Whether they know that thermal margin often decides reliability and lifetime in solid-state rf systems.
What safety practices do you follow when working on high-voltage and high-power rf equipment?
What they are checking: Whether they treat rf exposure, stored energy and lockout as daily habits rather than paperwork.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Argonne National Laboratory.