What does a radio frequency engineer lead do?
Radio frequency engineer lead responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real radio frequency engineer lead resumes:
- Lead and manage a team of engineers and several GSM, UMTS and LTE projects.
- Lead the receiver development including circuit design, system simulation and integration, compliance testing, and supervision of PCB layout.
- Manage antenna construction on multiple towers and building rooftops in Philadelphia.
- Manage all deliverable and oversee complete implementation of KPI improvement projects.
- Maintain and manage a cluster of cloud-base and local performance servers for regional testing and optimization.
- Process improvement efforts and/or other opportunities to automate these processes with computer applications with C++ and/or Java where applicable.
- Support the integration engineers in the BSC/RBS, RNC/RBS and ENodeB (LTE) upgrade from GPS out to GPS02 software.
- Analyze and design PCB layout of RF circuits and components for wireless GPS navigation product design.
- Conduct RF site surveys and prepare passive and active DAS designs and calculate link budget, BOM and traffic capacity.
- Provide technical data for FCC licensing and frequency coordination and interference analysis.
- Design uses a flex PCB.
- Prepare FAA / FCC docs.
- Overlie integration design of GSM/GPRS/EDGE/ to UMTS networks.
- Layer management on indoor site for handovers to macro sites.
- Deploy new and expand existing PCS CDMA systems for wireless customers.
Radio frequency engineer lead skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Radio Frequency Engineers Lead are proficient in System Design, Test Equipment, and Antenna. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Math skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Radio Frequency Engineers Lead that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- System Design, 8%
Produced technical reports documenting system design components, features, and predicted performance.
- Test Equipment, 8%
Presented test equipment procurement budget, and plan for executive management review.
- Antenna, 8%
Performed coverage optimization by altering antenna Up/down-tilts (Electrical + Mechanical) or azimuths to ensure better coverage around sites.
- GPS, 7%
Analyzed and designed PCB layout of RF circuits and components for wireless GPS navigation product design.
- KPI, 6%
Make network improvement recommendations, perform KPI analysis, identify & investigate network quality issues and update Sprint management accordingly.
- PCB, 6%
Approved drawings for a complex mixed signal PCB using high frequency Ultralam material.
"system design," "test equipment," and "antenna" are among the most common skills that radio frequency engineers lead use at work. You can find even more radio frequency engineer lead responsibilities below, including:
Initiative. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a radio frequency engineer lead to have is initiative. Their role and responsibilities require that "electrical and electronics engineers must apply their knowledge to new tasks in every project they undertake." Radio frequency engineers lead often use initiative in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "managed a major fcc mandated initiative to re-band nextel s spectrum from 800 to 900mhz. "
Math skills. Another essential skill to perform radio frequency engineer lead duties is math skills. Radio frequency engineers lead responsibilities require that "electrical and electronics engineers must use the principles of calculus and other advanced math in order to analyze, design, and troubleshoot equipment." Radio frequency engineers lead also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "created excel vba scripts for pn and pci planning, neighbor distance calculation and cluster statistics reports"
Speaking skills. radio frequency engineers lead are also known for speaking skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to radio frequency engineer lead responsibilities, because "electrical and electronics engineers work closely with other engineers and technicians." A radio frequency engineer lead resume example shows how speaking skills is used in the workplace: "presented kpi reports to national/regional rf for cluster acceptance and launch (gng). "
Writing skills. A big part of what radio frequency engineers lead do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to radio frequency engineer lead responsibilities because "electrical and electronics engineers develop technical publications related to equipment they develop, including maintenance manuals, operation manuals, parts lists, product proposals, and design methods documents." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical radio frequency engineer lead tasks: "support troubleshooting of wireless networks (lte) writing scripts to test the throughput of the lte network. "
The three companies that hire the most radio frequency engineer leads are:
- Apple6 radio frequency engineers lead jobs
- L3Harris5 radio frequency engineers lead jobs
- Raytheon Technologies5 radio frequency engineers lead jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable radio frequency engineer lead resume templates
Build a professional radio frequency engineer lead resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your radio frequency engineer lead resume.
Compare different radio frequency engineers lead
Radio frequency engineer lead vs. Controls designer
Controls designers both design and draft systems of hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical controls for equipment and machines. The designers make diagrams of the logic system for timing and sequence control. They illustrate and describe details for installation and maintenance, such as bearing lubrication and lubrication types. It is part of their job to review schematics with the representatives of customers to answer questions during robot system installation. Also, they may design energy conversion controls.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a radio frequency engineer lead are more likely to require skills like "test equipment," "antenna," "gps," and "kpi." On the other hand, a job as a controls designer requires skills like "plc," "control panels," "ids," and "auto cad." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Controls designers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $88,405. On the other hand, radio frequency engineers lead are paid more in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $102,027.On average, controls designers reach lower levels of education than radio frequency engineers lead. Controls designers are 13.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Radio frequency engineer lead vs. Pcb designer
PCB designers are professionals who use computer software programs to design printed circuit boards (PCBs), an electronic circuit that supports electronic components such as transistors, diodes, and capacitors. These designers must design and implement various circuit boards and perform revisions to apply changes that are based on the specifications of customers and engineers. They need to collaborate with the companies that fabricate and assemble PCBs to discuss the quality, cost-effective, and timely deliveries of PCBs. PCB designers must also use AutoCAD software to design schematics for the PCB systems.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, radio frequency engineer lead responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "system design," "test equipment," "antenna," and "gps." Meanwhile, a pcb designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "rf," "dfm," "pcb layout," and "schematic capture." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Pcb designers earn a lower average salary than radio frequency engineers lead. But pcb designers earn the highest pay in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $90,002. Additionally, radio frequency engineers lead earn the highest salaries in the telecommunication with average pay of $102,027 annually.In general, pcb designers achieve lower levels of education than radio frequency engineers lead. They're 20.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Radio frequency engineer lead vs. Senior pcb designer
An engineering trainee is responsible for shadowing engineers in their duties and performing administrative tasks as needed. Engineering trainees assist the engineers in inspecting construction sites and conducting field research. They also identify cost-efficient materials and resources that meet quality standards and client specifications. An engineering trainee must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports, attending meetings, and ensuring that all reports are submitted for management's reviews, such as contracts from suppliers and vendors.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from radio frequency engineer lead resumes include skills like "system design," "test equipment," "antenna," and "kpi," whereas a senior pcb designer is more likely to list skills in "rf," "schematic capture," "pcb layout," and "analog. "
Senior pcb designers typically earn lower educational levels compared to radio frequency engineers lead. Specifically, they're 22.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Radio frequency engineer lead vs. Engineering trainee
Types of radio frequency engineer lead
Updated January 8, 2025
