V2X Communications Engineer (Mid-Level)

Description

Job Description:

Are you interested in improving and shaping the transportation industry in a group of intelligent and motivated individuals? Consider joining the Leidos team operating FHWA’s Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL), a USDOT research lab focused on the improvement of transportation operations, safety, mobility, and environmental impacts.  STOL provides a variety of services to support the advancement and deployment of emerging technologies, including vehicle automation and communication. 

To support these goals, Leidos is seeking a Communications Engineer who is motivated by variety, thrives in a challenging environment, seeks professional growth, and will be a key part of a team developing and extending a variety of applications and components in support of transportation research.  This person will play a significant role in developing and evaluating technologies using the 5.9 GHz band. 

The successful candidate will work closely with fellow engineers, software developers, and project managers to identify testing needs; develop and execute test plans; install, evaluate, and manage communications hardware; and analyze wireless communications needs.  The candidate should enjoy working in a lab environment and in real world settings developing and testing new solutions, tools, and opportunities to advance the state of technology and promote adoption.  The Communications Engineer will be part of a growing research team that advances connected and automated vehicle technologies for FHWA.  

Systems of interest relate to the following:

• Vehicle-to-infrastructure, Vehicle-to-pedestrian, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication hardware and standards,
• Connected and Automated vehicles,
• Traffic operations, and
• Intelligent transportation systems.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Interacting with customer and in-house development teams to identify, understand, and resolve technical goals and challenges
• Working with wireless device vendors to specify and procure development hardware
• Installing, configuring, and testing wireless hardware and software
• Independent troubleshooting
• Evaluating new communication methods using cellular and DSRC in a vehicle environment
• Conduct communication simulation for different communication protocols (e.g., DSRC and cellular)
• Developing Connected Vehicle- and Infrastructure-based applications on various platforms
• Data processing and analysis by using statistical methods
• Tracking and reporting performance of hardware and software under test
• Producing clear and concise records of testing
• Conducting demonstrations, meetings, and webinars
• Writing technical reports and technical documentation
• Test planning and development, system testing, and user documentation.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, or other engineering field.
• 4+ years of experience (2+ with Master's degree) testing and troubleshooting complex software and hardware systems.
• Familiar with radio frequency device performance characterization and modulation techniques
• Familiar with wireless and connected vehicle standards including IEEE 802.11 & 1609, 3GPP LTE & 5G, SAE J2735 & J2945
• Familiar with Linux and Windows Operating systems
• Experience with networking protocols including IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP, and SNMP
• Experience with creating and executing comprehensive test cases
• Ability to identify, record, document, and track faults and flaws in a device under test
• Hands-on setup of data collection hardware and software
• Self-motivated and ability to self-teach with minimal guidance
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Must follow-through on commitments and deliver quality products on or ahead of schedule
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance
• Hold a valid driver’s license in the US and has a good driving record.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Familiar with connected vehicle and ITS standards including IEEE 1609, 3GPP Rel 14/15  PC5, SAE J2735/J2945/J3161, NTCIP 1202/1218
• Experience with Keysight FieldFox or other spectrum analyzer
• Experience working with Java, Python, SQL, C++, C#, C
• Understanding of connected and/or automated vehicle operations
• Understanding of network simulation tools (e.g. NS-3)
• Geospatial positioning (e.g. GPS) and position correction (e.g. RTCM)
• Awareness of the systems engineering process
• Experience with Git, Maven, and Gradle
• Network administration/engineering
• Data management
• Familiar with R, Matlab, and/or other professional statistical software package.
• U.S. citizenship is preferred.
• Travel to government test tracks to support field experiments will be expected.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $74,750.00 - $115,000.00 - $155,250.00