Tactical Communications and Field Systems Engineer

Location: Austin, Texas; on-site when not deployed

Travel: Up to 50%, including international travel and deployments to combat zones

Clearance: U.S. citizen with an active DoD Secret clearance or eligibility for reinstatement

Reports to: Field Operations Lead

About NODA AI

NODA is a Veteran-owned, venture-backed technology company that is transforming how unmanned systems collaborate in complex, mission-critical environments. We are developing next-generation solutions that enable the autonomous orchestration of heterogeneous unmanned systems across air, sea, land, and space with vital applications in the defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors.

Joining NODA means working on meaningful technology that pushes the boundaries of autonomy alongside a team that thrives on innovation, rapid iteration, and collaboration.

Position Summary

The Tactical Communications and Field Systems Engineer designs, integrates, and maintains the networks that connect NODA’s unmanned platforms, ground control stations, and customer systems. The role supports field testing, demonstrations, exercises, and operational deployments, with responsibility for communications readiness, troubleshooting, and technical documentation.

Key Responsibilities

Develop mission communications plans covering radio and satellite links, mesh networks, IP addressing, encryption, antenna placement and separation, and backhaul. Establish primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency (PACE) options for critical links.

Configure, test, and maintain communications between unmanned air, ground, surface, and underwater platforms and their ground control stations, including relay and retransmission sites for beyond-line-of-sight connectivity.

Diagnose faults in radios, antennas, cabling, power systems, and IP networks, both on-site and remotely. Identify and mitigate external and self-generated interference, including jamming.

Coordinate frequency and satellite access requests with range, military, and host-nation authorities. Manage communications security (COMSEC) key loading and accountability, and apply transmission security (TRANSEC) procedures.

Fabricate and repair cables, harnesses, and connectors. Maintain equipment inventories, configuration records, spares, antennas, and field power systems.

Survey and establish field sites, verify communications before deployment, and integrate command and control, telemetry, video, and link-health data into customer systems.

Evaluate radios, waveforms, and antennas. Maintain network diagrams, configuration files, frequency records, communications plans, and after-action reports.

Train and qualify teammates and customers on communications equipment and procedures. Work with Engineering, Product, and customer teams, and support site setup, teardown, and other field activities.

Required Qualifications

At least five years of experience planning, installing, operating, and maintaining tactical communications as a military communicator or field service representative, including deployments with combat or combat support units.

Hands-on experience with HF, VHF, UHF, SATCOM, and mobile ad hoc or mesh networks, including configuration, encryption, link testing, and retransmission. Relevant systems include L3Harris AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-152, and AN/PRC-163; Motorola; TACSAT/MUOS; MPU5; Silvus; Doodle Labs; and Microhard.

Working knowledge of RF propagation, antenna theory, and electromagnetic interference. Practical skills in RF cabling, connectors, grounding, field power, and soldering, with experience using spectrum analyzers, power and standing wave ratio meters, and multimeters.

Proficiency in IP networking, including subnetting, DHCP, VLANs, routing, firewalls, VPNs, and Ethernet connections between radios, ground control stations, and payloads.

Experience with COMSEC key handling and accountability, TRANSEC, emission control, spectrum coordination, and PACE planning in environments affected by electronic warfare or jamming.