Sr Characterization Engineer - San Jose, CA, United States
$115,600 - $150,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 3 September 2026 by the employer — open 7 days.
About the role
As a Sr Characterization Engineer, you will own the design, implementation, and scaling of automated test racks and benches for characterization and design validation testing (DVT) of complex, highly integrated RF Front-End Modules (RF FEMs). This role focuses on developing robust software tools and data pipelines to fast-track RF FEMs for 5G NR and 6G handsets.
What you'll do
- Partner with RF IC and Hardware Design Engineers to align test methodologies with design simulation models and propose test routines.
- Design, enhance, and maintain highly scalable, automated RF test scripts and software environments.
- Lead lab bring-up, DVT, and comprehensive root-cause debugging of mobile prototype FEMs.
- Analyze and plot performance results for design teams.
- Mentor Technicians on new software and laboratory equipment.
What you'll need
- BSEE with an emphasis on RF/Microwave systems.
- 3+ years of active industry experience in mobile cellular/wireless RF validation.
- Proficiency programming for instrument communication and measurements with VB.net, Python or C++.
- Mastery of lab infrastructure including Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs), Spectrum Analyzers, Vector Signal Generators (VSGs), power meters, and MIPI RFFE protocol analyzers.
- Strong working knowledge of 3GPP standards (LTE, 5G NR, FR1/FR2) and/or Wi-Fi architecture.
Skills: RF validation, VB.net, Python, C#, LabVIEW, VNA, Spectrum Analyzer
This role has been open 6 days — well below the 44-day median for RF/Wireless Engineering roles.
RF/Wireless Engineering · RF Frontend
|
Open roles in category
255
|
Median days open
44 d
|
Median salary
$164k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | QORVO | All employers we track in this specialty (255 roles · 32 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 52 | 255 |
| Open roles in the wider Analog & Mixed-Signal family | 80 | 1320 · 101 employers |
| Median days open | 22 d | 44 d (−22 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $164k |
Skills observed across this category: RF validation, VB.net, Python, C#, LabVIEW, VNA
Who's hiring in this category
- QORVO (this employer) · 52 open roles · median 22 d
- Skyworks · 36 open roles · median 22 d
- Qualcomm · 29 open roles · median 63 d
- Keysight Technologies · 26 open roles · median 164 d
- Apple · 15 open roles · median 20 d
- Analog Devices · 11 open roles · median 45 d
How we counted: 255 open RF/Wireless Engineering (RF Frontend) roles from 32 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Sept 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Analog & Mixed-Signal family row. Figures refresh nightly.