Regulatory Engineer

Role:

Northwood is hiring a Regulatory Engineer to help license our global ground station network. Working directly with our RF Regulatory Licensing Manager, you will prepare and file earth station applications in the U.S. and internationally, support ITU filings, and keep a fast-growing licensing pipeline organized from customer request through grant and renewal. You will turn satellite and antenna technical data into regulator-ready filings, work with customers, outside counsel, and internal teams, and own the ticketing system that tracks every application. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who wants to work at the intersection of RF engineering, spectrum regulation, legal, and operations.

Responsibilities:

• Prepare, file, and track earth station applications, modifications, amendments, special temporary authorities, and renewals before the FCC (Part 25 and Part 5 experimental) and international regulators such as ACMA (Australia) and BNetzA (Germany), working with outside counsel and filing agents.

• Build the technical content of filings: link budgets, EIRP and EIRP density, G/T and system noise temperature, antenna gain patterns and off-axis compliance, emission designators, and RF hazard (EMF) analyses.

• Support ITU filings for earth stations and customer satellite networks: assemble and check Appendix 4 data (SpaceCap/SpaceVal), track filing status, and keep national applications consistent with the underlying ITU filings.

• Own the licensing Jira space day to day: triage new requests from Business Development, keep status, owners, due dates, and blockers current, and prepare the dashboard and metrics (drafted, filed, granted) for the weekly licensing meeting.

• Serve as a technical point of contact for customers’ regulatory teams at intake: collect satellite, ITU filing, and authorization details, and flag gaps early (e.g., missing ITU filings, market access, or national authorizations).

• Track post-grant obligations, including license conditions, frequency coordination with other operators, expirations, and renewals, and maintain the license register.

• Support equipment certification and type approval of our S-, X-, and Ka-band antennas for import and licensing in multiple countries.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or a related field.

• 3–6 years of experience in satellite communications, spectrum regulatory work, or RF systems engineering, including at least 2 years preparing regulatory filings.

• Hands-on experience preparing U.S. earth station or space station applications (FCC Part 25 and/or Part 5) and applications in at least one non-U.S. jurisdiction.

• Working knowledge of the ITU Radio Regulations as they apply to satellite networks and earth stations (including Articles 21 and 22 and Appendix 4), and experience preparing or reviewing ITU filing data.

• Solid satellite link fundamentals: link budgets, EIRP, PSD, G/T, antenna patterns, and interference metrics such as C/I and I/N.

• Experience managing many concurrent work items in Jira or a similar ticketing tool, with the discipline to keep status, owners, and dates current.

• Clear technical writing for regulators, customers, and non-engineers.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on use of ITU BR software (SpaceCap, SpaceVal, TerRaSys) and experience with coordination requests or BR IFIC review.

• Experience with FCC, NTIA, or other U.S. federal spectrum processes, or with government customers.

• RF test and measurement experience (e.g., spectrum analyzer emissions measurements, antenna pattern testing), or equipment certification and type approval.

• Background at a ground station, GSaaS, or NGSO operator; familiarity with S-, X-, and Ka-band TT&C and mission data links.

• Jira configuration experience (workflows, filters, dashboards) and Confluence.

Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood 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.