Wireless Architect

Specter is building a software-defined control plane for the physical world. Our mission is to protect and empower American businesses by granting them ubiquitous perception over their physical assets.

We’re creating a connected hardware–software ecosystem built on multimodal wireless mesh sensing, driving down the cost and time of deploying sensors by 10×. Ultimately, Specter’s platform will serve as the perception engine for a company’s physical footprint - enabling real-time perimeter visibility, autonomous operations management, and “digital twinning” of physical processes.

Our founders, Xerxes Libsch and Philip Clark, are building a team of exceptional engineers from Anduril, Tesla, Uber, and the U.S. Special Forces who are redefining how machines sense and understand the physical world.

The Role

Specter is hiring a Wireless Architect to define and optimize the end-to-end wireless architecture connecting thousands of edge devices across large, distributed environments. This role sits at the intersection of RF systems, PHY/MAC design, network modeling, and multi-node mesh communications.

You will own the system-level models, simulations, and architectural decisions that shape how Specter’s sensors communicate - balancing long-range performance, power efficiency, resiliency, and cost. You’ll partner with RF, firmware, and software teams to design, validate, and deploy a robust multi-radio architecture across real-world industrial sites.

This role is deeply cross-functional and highly impactful: your work directly defines the wireless “fabric” that Specter’s perception platform operates on.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end RF system architecture: link budgets, channel modeling, coexistence/interference studies, and performance modeling across Wi-Fi HaLow, 802.11, LTE, 5G NR, and long-range sub-GHz systems.

• Define PHY ↔ MAC behaviors and system KPIs, guiding how radios schedule, adapt, and operate under constrained real-world environments.

• Root-cause and optimize performance across HW, PHY, MAC, driver, and network layers.

• Test interoperability with third-party devices and ensure standards compliance across multiple wireless subsystems.

• Develop Specter’s RF planning & deployment modeling tools, enabling automated topology planning, coverage prediction, and network-health telemetry.

• Collaborate with RF hardware engineers on front-end design (LNAs, PAs, filters, matching networks) and ensure clean integration between analog front-end and digital baseband.

• Define multi-radio system architecture for long-range backhaul, local mesh, and high-throughput paths across heterogeneous radios.

• Build the simulation, modeling, and testing infrastructure (MATLAB, Simulink, ADS, HFSS, automated bench workflows).

• Drive field validation and OTA testing across industrial, logistics, and large-area deployments.

• Work cross-functionally with firmware, networking, and ML teams to ensure the wireless stack performs reliably in complex environments.

• Support DVT, certification, production tuning, and scaling of radio performance across thousands of deployed systems.

Preferred Background

• Experience leading wireless systems architecture from concept → production, covering PHY/MAC, RF, and embedded software integration.

• Deep understanding of PHY/MAC internals, scheduling, adaptation, and real-world RF system behavior.

• Strong background in link-level simulation, channel modeling, and system-level performance analysis.

• Expertise in 802.11 PHY/MAC, particularly 802.11ah (HaLow), or similar low-power long-range technologies.

• Hands-on experience with RF and system modeling tools (MATLAB, Simulink, ADS, HFSS) and lab instrumentation (VNA, SA, OTA chambers).

• Experience supporting DVT, FCC/CE certification, production RF tuning, and large-scale operational deployments.

• Comfortable operating across modeling → firmware debugging → RF measurements → field testing.

Bonus (Nice to Have)

• DSP or ML-based signal processing experience (algorithm development, PHY prototyping, FPGA/GPU/embedded optimization).

• Experience with low-SNR or long-range waveforms, electronic warfare principles, or spectral management.

• Background in network telemetry, mesh routing, or real-time network-health analytics.

• Hands-on experience with OpenWRT, custom MAC implementations, or driver-level optimization.