Sr. RF Engineer
Posted May 12, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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 a PA or LNA design didn't meet spec once you got it into the lab. What did you do?
What they are checking: debugging process and comfort moving between simulation and real hardware
Tell me about a project where you worked directly with a customer to define requirements. How did the requirements change once you got into the design, and how did you handle that?
What they are checking: real-world experience translating ambiguous customer needs into engineering specs
Describe a time you had to write test procedures or interface control documents that other teams relied on. What did you make sure to include?
What they are checking: documentation discipline and awareness that others depend on clear specs
Tell me about a project that changed direction midstream, maybe requirements shifted or a customer changed scope. How did you adjust without losing momentum?
What they are checking: comfort with variety and ambiguity, since the role explicitly demands flexibility across very different projects
What would you do
Say you're asked to design a battery-powered RF device where current drain is the top priority but customers still expect full transmit power. How would you approach that tradeoff?
What they are checking: ability to balance competing constraints like power budget against performance requirements
You're on a small team, maybe four or five people covering hardware, software, and FPGA, and two disciplines disagree about how to handle an interface. How do you get everyone aligned?
What they are checking: cross-functional influence and communication skill in a small-team, high-ownership environment
This role sits close to government contracts and may require security clearance. Is there anything in your background that would affect your ability to obtain one, and how do you feel about the citizenship requirement?
What they are checking: basic eligibility screening for a clearance-dependent defense-adjacent role
About the work
Walk me through an RF front end you designed from the ground up, from architecture to bring-up. What frequency range was it and what were the toughest tradeoffs?
What they are checking: whether the candidate has genuinely owned end-to-end RF design, not just contributed to a piece of one
How do you approach an Rx lineup calculation? Tell me how you'd budget noise figure and IM performance across stages.
What they are checking: depth of hands-on RF systems engineering knowledge versus textbook familiarity
Which simulation tools have you used most, ADS, HFSS, CST, or others, and what's a case where simulation didn't match measured results? What did you learn from that gap?
What they are checking: practical fluency with the specific tool stack and honesty about simulation limits
Describe your experience with schematic capture and PCB layout, particularly anything involving high speed interfaces or careful impedance matching.
What they are checking: whether the candidate can carry a design from schematic through to a physical, working board
What RF test equipment are you most comfortable with, and walk me through how you'd characterize a transmitter's harmonic suppression on the bench.
What they are checking: hands-on lab competence versus theoretical knowledge only
Have you worked with antenna design or measurement? Tell me about a specific antenna challenge you solved.
What they are checking: breadth beyond core circuit design, since the posting flags antennas as a plus
Have you used Python or LabVIEW to automate lab testing? Give me an example of a test setup you automated and why.
What they are checking: efficiency mindset and practical scripting skill for repeatable RF measurements
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As published by Motorola Solutions.