Senior Staff Engineer – CATV RF Design
APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS INC, Duluth, GA, United States
AOI is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including hiring, placement, promotion, training, transfer and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, veteran status, age, disability, marital status, or any other category protected by State or U.S. Federal law. Moreover, we endeavor to treat our employees fairly.
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Staff Engineer with deep expertise in CATV RF and HFC network design, including active device architecture and amplifier design. This role serves as a senior technical authority responsible for the design, optimization, and modernization of broadband HFC networks and the active components that power them. The ideal candidate brings 15+ years of progressive RF engineering experience within the cable telecommunications industry and demonstrates strong technical leadership, innovation, and cross‑functional collaboration.
Job Duties
Lead end-to-end RF design and architecture for CATV/HFC networks including system expansion, segmentation, node splits, and capacity upgrades
Develop cascade designs including amplifier spacing, tilt planning, equalization strategy, and link budget analysis
Perform forward and return path design including mid-split, high-split, and extended spectrum DOCSIS implementations
Support fiber deep, DAA (Remote PHY/Remote MACPHY), and DOCSIS 3.1/4.0 evolution strategies
Define and maintain RF design standards, engineering guidelines, and performance metrics
Design and optimize broadband RF amplifier stages for HFC applications across 5 MHz–1.8 GHz (and beyond for extended spectrum)
Develop gain stage architectures including push‑pull and GaN/LDMOS‑based output stages
Perform distortion analysis including CCN and NPR performance
Design automatic gain control (AGC) and automatic level control (ALC) systems
Engineer equalization networks and slope compensation to maintain flatness across extended bandwidth
Analyze thermal performance, power dissipation, and efficiency of amplifier modules
Evaluate noise figure, return loss, isolation, and impedance matching performance
Support power supply integration, standby powering schemes, and surge protection design
Conduct simulation and modeling using RF design tools (e.g., ADS, Microwave Office, SPICE‑based modeling)
Lead validation testing including sweep alignment, MER/SNR performance, ingress resilience, and field qualification
Experience with Altium CAD software tools
Conduct system‑level performance analysis including MER, SNR, group delay, distortion products, and return path noise
Optimize cascade depth and amplifier count to balance performance, cost, and reliability
Lead troubleshooting of plant impairments related to active device nonlinearities or misalignment
Collaborate with operations teams on deployment, activation, and field support
Serve as subject matter expert on RF active devices and HFC architecture
Mentor junior engineers and guide technical development of the organization
Partner with product, operations, and executive leadership on long‑term network strategy
Evaluate vendor components, silicon technologies, and emerging architectures
Support compliance with SCTE, ANSI, and FCC standards
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline (required)
Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (preferred)
15+ years of experience in CATV/HFC RF design
Direct experience designing or architecting broadband RF amplifiers for HFC systems
Strong understanding of RF transmission theory, impedance matching, and nonlinear distortion mechanisms
Extensive knowledge of DOCSIS 3.0/3.1/4.0 and extended spectrum evolution
Experience with RF modeling and simulation tools
Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with GaN or LDMOS device technologies in broadband applications
Familiarity with digital predistortion (DPD) techniques
SCTE certifications (SCTE-T, SCTE-IE)
Experience leading extended spectrum or DOCSIS 4.0 deployments
Background in hybrid analog/digital amplifier module design
Location
This position will be on‑site based in Duluth, GA.
WHY AOI?
In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers
Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
Relocation package available within US
Immigration sponsorships (Must be currently authorized to work in the US)
We do not accept unsolicited proposals from third‑party recruiters or agencies. Contacting hiring managers directly may result in disqualification of submissions.
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We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Staff Engineer with deep expertise in CATV RF and HFC network design, including active device architecture and amplifier design. This role serves as a senior technical authority responsible for the design, optimization, and modernization of broadband HFC networks and the active components that power them. The ideal candidate brings 15+ years of progressive RF engineering experience within the cable telecommunications industry and demonstrates strong technical leadership, innovation, and cross‑functional collaboration.
Job Duties
Lead end-to-end RF design and architecture for CATV/HFC networks including system expansion, segmentation, node splits, and capacity upgrades
Develop cascade designs including amplifier spacing, tilt planning, equalization strategy, and link budget analysis
Perform forward and return path design including mid-split, high-split, and extended spectrum DOCSIS implementations
Support fiber deep, DAA (Remote PHY/Remote MACPHY), and DOCSIS 3.1/4.0 evolution strategies
Define and maintain RF design standards, engineering guidelines, and performance metrics
Design and optimize broadband RF amplifier stages for HFC applications across 5 MHz–1.8 GHz (and beyond for extended spectrum)
Develop gain stage architectures including push‑pull and GaN/LDMOS‑based output stages
Perform distortion analysis including CCN and NPR performance
Design automatic gain control (AGC) and automatic level control (ALC) systems
Engineer equalization networks and slope compensation to maintain flatness across extended bandwidth
Analyze thermal performance, power dissipation, and efficiency of amplifier modules
Evaluate noise figure, return loss, isolation, and impedance matching performance
Support power supply integration, standby powering schemes, and surge protection design
Conduct simulation and modeling using RF design tools (e.g., ADS, Microwave Office, SPICE‑based modeling)
Lead validation testing including sweep alignment, MER/SNR performance, ingress resilience, and field qualification
Experience with Altium CAD software tools
Conduct system‑level performance analysis including MER, SNR, group delay, distortion products, and return path noise
Optimize cascade depth and amplifier count to balance performance, cost, and reliability
Lead troubleshooting of plant impairments related to active device nonlinearities or misalignment
Collaborate with operations teams on deployment, activation, and field support
Serve as subject matter expert on RF active devices and HFC architecture
Mentor junior engineers and guide technical development of the organization
Partner with product, operations, and executive leadership on long‑term network strategy
Evaluate vendor components, silicon technologies, and emerging architectures
Support compliance with SCTE, ANSI, and FCC standards
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline (required)
Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (preferred)
15+ years of experience in CATV/HFC RF design
Direct experience designing or architecting broadband RF amplifiers for HFC systems
Strong understanding of RF transmission theory, impedance matching, and nonlinear distortion mechanisms
Extensive knowledge of DOCSIS 3.0/3.1/4.0 and extended spectrum evolution
Experience with RF modeling and simulation tools
Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with GaN or LDMOS device technologies in broadband applications
Familiarity with digital predistortion (DPD) techniques
SCTE certifications (SCTE-T, SCTE-IE)
Experience leading extended spectrum or DOCSIS 4.0 deployments
Background in hybrid analog/digital amplifier module design
Location
This position will be on‑site based in Duluth, GA.
WHY AOI?
In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers
Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
Relocation package available within US
Immigration sponsorships (Must be currently authorized to work in the US)
We do not accept unsolicited proposals from third‑party recruiters or agencies. Contacting hiring managers directly may result in disqualification of submissions.
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