RF Engineer

RF Engineer

The short version

You’ll help build a completely new RF and sensing capability on top of Kelluu’s autonomous airship platform. This is a hands-on, curiosity-driven role where you prototype, experiment, and turn raw RF signals into situational awareness — taking our airship capabilities to a level that hasn’t been done before.

About Kelluu

We are turning the real world into a digital one, with accuracy down to the smallest detail. Imagine a near future where everything you see can be explored through data delivered by Kelluu, and where AI works continuously across that data to find what you need to know. Everything turned into answers.

We’re a Finnish deep-tech company, headquartered in Joensuu with offices in Helsinki and Tampere. The team is growing fast, the goals are ambitious, and we’re hiring people who want to build something that matters. Our technology is flight-proven and operational. We’re a NATO DIANA Phase 2 alumni with several thousands of hours of autonomous BVLOS flight experience, active programmes across multiple NATO nations, and a rapidly growing team. We operate in both defence and civilian markets: the same technology that supports border security also monitors critical infrastructure and the environment.

P.S. We just raised 15M€ Series A.

Why this role exists

Kelluu is building a new RF and radar domain from scratch to dramatically expand what our airships can sense, detect, and understand. This role exists to explore, prototype, and validate RF-based sensing concepts early — before dedicated hardware teams scale it further.

What you’ll own

• You’ll be responsible for turning RF physics into working signal processing and detection algorithms, using real-world data and rapid prototypes.
• Build and prototype RF, radar, and signal processing algorithms using existing hardware (e.g. SDRs) and real measurement data
• Translate RF physics and sensing theory into practical, testable software systems
• Develop early detection, estimation, and tracking capabilities that contribute directly to airship situational awareness
• Experiment, test, and iterate — shaping what RF-based sensing on an airship can realistically do
• Contribute to antenna and RF concept development for airship integration, in close collaboration with hardware-focused colleagues

Your team

You’ll work closely with Kelluu’s core airship, autonomy, and systems engineers in Joensuu. The RF domain is being built now, which means significant ownership and influence from day one.

What success looks like

• By 3 months: A strong understanding of Kelluu’s airship platform, sensing goals, and constraints; First RF or signal processing prototypes running on real data
• By 6 months: Demonstrated detection or estimation algorithms validated through experiments; Clear direction on which RF/radar concepts are worth scaling further
• By 12 months: Meaningful RF-based sensing capability integrated into Kelluu’s roadmap; A foundational RF algorithm stack others can build on

What we’re looking for

• Strong fundamentals in physics or engineering (electromagnetics, signal processing, or applied mathematics), at MSc level or equivalent
• Solid mathematical maturity: signal processing, linear algebra, probability and statistics at university level
• An experimental mindset, with evidence of building, testing, and iterating on real systems
• Sufficient programming ability to prototype and iterate quickly, primarily in Python
• Genuine curiosity about radar, RF, and sensing — prior professional experience is not required

Even better if you also bring:

• Experience with SDRs or other RF hardware
• Exposure to radar, RF, or wireless signal processing
• Familiarity with detection and estimation concepts (CFAR, Kalman filtering, hypothesis testing)
• Experience with clutter suppression or noise reduction techniques
• Knowledge of positioning concepts such as TDoA, PDoA, FDoA, or direction finding

What you get

• The opportunity: Build a brand-new RF and sensing domain inside a growing deep-tech company
• Work hands-on with real systems, real data, and real flight platforms
• Shape the future capabilities of autonomous airships from an early stage

The practicalities

• Healthcare, Lunch benefit, Culture, sports, and wellbeing benefit (Epassi), Phone
• Flexible work culture — results matter more than desks

The kind of place this is

Kelluu is a dual-use deep-tech company at the intersection of autonomy, AI, and aerial intelligence. We build technology that serves both national security and society, and we take that responsibility seriously.

We’re scaling fast, which means you’ll have real influence on how things are built. The flipside: things move quickly, priorities shift, and everyone wears a few hats. If you want a finished playbook and a clear lane, this probably isn’t the right fit. If you want to write the playbook yourself, it might be exactly right.

We use AI tools extensively, not as a gimmick, but because it lets a growing team move faster than anyone expects. We expect everyone to be curious about how to work smarter.

Details

Location: Joensuu

Start date: As soon as possible

Reports to: FCS and RF Lead Systems Engineer Jaakko Rantala

Due to the nature of our business in the defence and dual-use sectors, the selected candidate must successfully pass a standard security clearance. Furthermore, certain roles are subject to international export control regulations (e.g., EU Dual-Use or ITAR), which may impose specific requirements regarding the candidate’s citizenship and background.

Interested? Apply by 8.8.2026. Include your CV and application. We’re less interested in a list of past job titles and more interested in your impact.

What to expect: Initial call, Interview with Jaakko and our Head of Software Pauli, Assignment, Final interview / meet the team, Reference check and offer

Questions? Reach out to Jaakko Rantala jaakko.rantala@kelluu.com or by phone on Tue-Fri between 12-14: +358 50 403 8374, please send a text message if Jaakko misses your call, or Head of Software Pauli Järviluoto pauli@kelluu.com.

NOTE. There seems to be a glitch in our ATS (TeamTailor) so let us know if you don't get a confirmation email after submitting your application.

Direct applications only.