Principal RF Hardware Design Engineer

It's an exciting time to be at Impinj. We work at the intersection of Big Data and the Internet of Things (IOT) to identify, locate and authenticate billions of items, and our Item Intelligence platform comprises the most comprehensive and widely adopted RAIN RFID product portfolio in the world. Our spectacular growth has us on the lookout for a Principal RF Hardware Design Engineer ready to bring their skills to our fast-paced environment and fuel upcoming growth and innovation.

RAIN RFID reader systems have the capability to identify and locate tagged items at long range and operate in various 900 MHz bands worldwide (for example, the 902-928 MHz ISM band in the U.S.). The systems must transmit a high-power carrier of up to 6.5W while simultaneously demodulating the tiny signal reflected from a distant tag, presenting a technology challenge similar to high performance radar systems. Impinj gateways use a reader engine paired with a phased antenna array to enable systems to locate both stationary and moving items.

Our hardware design team develops all reader systems hardware, including reference designs for our high performance EX10 reader chips in addition to Impinj reader and gateway products. Our team works in concert with the firmware and systems teams to optimize and characterize new designs and undertake R and D for future, sophisticated reader systems and algorithms.
What you'll Do:

• Develop/analyze transmitter and receiver chains spanning baseband to RF
• Design critical circuit blocks including RF power amplifier, VCO/PLL, RF and baseband filters, combiners/splitters and auxiliary circuits
• Design power regulation and signal conditioning circuitry
• Participate in the development of sophisticated architectures for future reader and gateway systems
• Characterize performance of radio subsystems
• Provide support to CMs and Product Engineering for existing products

Who you are:

• Bachelor of Science or higher degree in Electrical Engineering
• 10+ years of hardware design experience, including a majority focused on RF design for communications systems/products
• Experience with linear and non-linear RF simulation tools (e.g. AWR Microwave Office)
• Experience with CAD tools for schematic capture and layout, preferably Cadence Allegro and Altium platforms
• Expertise in RF measurement techniques using Vector Network Analyzers and Spectrum Analyzers
• Strong communication system and transceiver architecture knowledge
• Excellent lab and circuit debug skills
• Experience with Python scripting language desired
• Experience with high volume, commercial product development desired
• Experience in UHF bands between 850 MHz and 950 MHz desired

Why Impinj?

Join a team of extraordinarily capable colleagues who work passionately on everything from silicon chip designs to Ember.js web interfaces.

Collaboration and teamwork are highly valued, and accomplishments are duly celebrated. We have bi-weekly open Q&A sessions with our executive team. You'll enjoy a host of snacks to keep you energized throughout the day. We have an open time-off policy paired with a profound respect for work/life balance. Our breathtaking office in South Lake Union has spectacular views of the Olympics, Lake Union, and Mt Baker, all from our roof top deck. Impinj has a dedication to a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all backgrounds and walks of life.

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