Antenna Field Application Engineer in Richmond

The Antenna Field Applications Engineer (FAE) provides customer-facing technical support for antenna products from opportunity identification and requirements definition through product selection, technical evaluation, design-in, qualification, and mass production. The FAE works closely with Segment/Regional Sales Managers, Product Development Managers, Product Managers, R&D, Quality, and customers to accelerate design wins and ensure successful antenna integration and performance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide pre-sales and post-sales technical support for embedded, external, combination, GNSS, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, cellular antenna products.
• Engage with customers to understand application scenarios, device architecture, frequency bands, RF interfaces, mechanical constraints, environmental requirements, certification needs, and project schedules.
• Recommend standard antenna products as the preferred solution and provide clear technical justification, product documentation, samples, and integration guidance.
• Support antenna selection, matching, placement, cable and connector definition, grounding, coexistence, isolation, and overall RF performance optimization at the device and system levels.
• Plan, coordinate, or perform technical evaluations, including S-parameter/VSWR, efficiency, gain, radiation pattern, isolation, cable-loss, OTA, TRP/TIS, GNSS, and relevant field-performance testing; analyze results and prepare customer-facing reports.
• Troubleshoot customer issues through schematic/layout/mechanical review, log and test-data analysis, bench testing, onsite debugging, root-cause investigation, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for assigned antenna opportunities and manage requests through Jira, Freshdesk/e-service, CRM, or other ticketing systems, ensuring clear ownership, priorities, milestones, and timely closure.
• Coordinate sample requests, evaluation boards, test fixtures, drawings, specifications, reports, and other technical deliverables required to move opportunities from technical evaluation to design-in and mass production.
• Escalate customized antenna requests, operator-certification requirements, complex integration issues, and high-priority opportunities to PDM, PM, R&D, and Quality; support feasibility, schedule, risk, and NRE-cost evaluation before commitment.
• Provide technical training, application notes, FAQs, and competitive insights to customers, sales teams, distributors, and internal stakeholders.
• Track technical evaluation and design-in progress with Sales and PDM teams, maintain accurate ticket records, document meeting minutes and action items, and provide regular status reports and agreed performance metrics.
• Capture field feedback, recurring technical issues, competitive information, and unmet customer needs, and translate them into actionable product-improvement and portfolio-planning recommendations.

Requirements and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Antenna/RF Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communications, Microwave Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in antenna engineering, RF engineering, field applications engineering, or customer-facing technical support.
• Solid knowledge of antenna fundamentals, RF systems, impedance matching, S-parameters, radiation characteristics, MIMO/diversity, isolation, cable loss, and common wireless standards.
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, and anechoic/OTA test systems.
• Familiarity with cellular (LTE/5G), GNSS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LPWA/IoT, and related antenna applications; knowledge of NTN, UWB, ISM, or automotive antennas is an advantage.
• Ability to read schematics, PCB layouts, mechanical drawings, antenna specifications, and RF/OTA test reports, and to convert test findings into practical design recommendations.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, project-management, presentation, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical topics clearly to customers and cross-functional teams.
• Experience with Jira, e-service, or other ticketing and project-tracking tools.
• Proficiency in English; additional language capability is an advantage.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required.
• Experience supporting antenna products through customer design-in, certification, pilot production, and mass production.
• Experience with CST, HFSS, or other antenna/RF simulation and design tools.
• Knowledge of carrier/operator, regulatory, automotive, environmental, or reliability requirements relevant to antenna products.