DSP Engineer (Early Career)

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between Earth and space. Satellites are only as powerful as the ground systems that connect to them - without that critical infrastructure, they can’t be steered or send their data back to Earth. Northwood’s global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail. We take a vertically integrated approach to building an end-to-end ground system, delivering technology that is scalable and reliable for both government and commercial customers.

Backed by over $100M from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, Founders Fund, and others, Northwood has proven its ability to move fast – we’ve stood up a fully operational site in Australia in just 3 months, where similar efforts typically take years.

Northwood is rapidly scaling its global footprint, with 30+ sites planned across 2026 and 2027. We’re building and deploying infrastructure at a pace the industry hasn’t seen before. If you thrive on building quickly, solving hard problems, and seeing your work deployed globally on critical missions, we want you at Northwood.

DSP ENGINEER (SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS)

We are looking for a DSP Engineer to join the development of our software-defined radio systems, with a focus on physical layer algorithm design and implementation for modem and beamforming products. You will own the full lifecycle of signal processing algorithms — from initial concept and floating-point modeling through fixed-point implementation and field validation. You will work closely with FPGA engineers, contribute to RF systems analysis, and serve as the technical owner of delivering a reliable communication link to our customers.

This role is a great fit for an engineer with strong numerical and programming fundamentals who is eager to go deep in DSP and satellite communications. We care more about how you think and build than how many years you’ve been doing it.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the design, validation, and testing of physical layer algorithms for demodulation and beamforming applications
• Develop and maintain floating- and fixed-point algorithm models in Python and Rust
• Collaborate with FPGA engineers to validate fixed-point implementations appropriate for RTL, ensuring high fidelity between model and hardware
• Contribute to RF systems analysis and dynamic link budgeting for phased array systems
• Take ownership of customer waveform requirements and end-to-end delivery.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree with 2-5+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 1-4+ years of experience, in a field involving numerical algorithm development
• Strong programming skills in Python
• Exposure to lower-level languages such as C++ or Rust
• Solid end-to-end understanding of digital communications — modulation, pulse shaping, synchronization, and demodulation
• Demonstrated ownership of an algorithmic outcome: you built something, deployed it, and found out if it worked

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiarity with SDR frameworks such as GNU Radio
• Experience with fixed-point algorithm development
• Knowledge of satellite communications standards such as CCSDS or DVB-S2X
• Experience with FPGA development or close collaboration with FPGA engineers
• Experience modeling physical systems to inform adaptive algorithm design
• Experience building or contributing to high-performance numerical libraries or frameworks

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

DSP Engineer/Level 1: $100,000 - $140,000 per year

DSP Engineer/Level 2: $140,000 - $170,000 per year

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Northwood. You may also be eligible for equity in the form of stock options or other long-term incentives, as well as potential performance bonuses. We offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, generous paid time off, and various other perks and discounts.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Additional Information:

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.