RF / DSP Engineer
About Spine
Spine builds integrated security infrastructure for operators of critical infrastructure across Europe — energy grids, rail and logistics networks, data centers, manufacturing sites, and municipal utilities. Our sensor-fused, integrator-ready platform replaces legacy guard-contract security with verified, correlated incidents across a three-layer stack: Sensor (radar, RF, optical, acoustic fused at the edge), Site (an encrypted mesh network that stays autonomous without connectivity), and Portfolio (correlated alerts feeding a Security Operations Center). We're a small, field-oriented team based in Berlin, taking full-stack ownership from embedded firmware to on-site deployment. Our mission: Securing European Prosperity.
About the Role
Detecting and localizing drones by RF signature is core to Spine's sensor layer. We're hiring an RF engineer to own drone RF detection, direction finding, and localization — building the SDR signal chains and DSP that turn raw IQ captures into classified, located threats in the field, not just in simulation.
What You'll Do
Design and ship production SDR signal chains: IQ capture, detection and classification of real-world protocols
Implement direction finding and/or localization: phase/amplitude DF, TDoA, and the synchronization they require
Implement DSP fundamentals in shipping code (Rust/C++/Python)
Work hands-on with antennas and propagation, both on the bench and in the field
Collaborate with the sensor fusion and field teams to integrate RF detection into the wider stack
What We're Looking For
Experience shipping SDR signal chains in production: IQ capture, detection/classification of real-world protocols
Direction finding and/or localization experience: phase/amplitude DF, TDoA, and the synchronization they require
Strong DSP fundamentals implemented in shipping code (Rust/C++/Python — not simulation-only)
Hands-on antenna/propagation intuition; comfortable on a bench and in the field
Nice to Have
Drone protocol experience (Remote ID, DJI DroneID, OcuSync-class links)
mmWave radar experience (TI AWR-class); coherent multi-receiver processing
Compensation & Location
On-site, EU (Berlin)