Communications Systems & Spectrum Compliance Lead

• CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators
• border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly
• stay ahead of evolving threats.
• CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel
• Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle
• London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .
• Role Overview:
• The Communications Systems & Spectrum Compliance Lead is based in El Segundo, California
• owns the technical performance and regulatory readiness of every data link CHAOS systems depend on — from point-to-point RF dishes, 5G and cellular modems
• Starlink terminals, to fiber network interconnects and MPU5 tactical radios. This role suits someone who is equally comfortable validating a link budget on a bench and researching a foreign ministry's spectrum licensing requirements ahead of a partner-nation demonstration.
• Beyond sustaining today's communications architecture, this role continuously evaluates emerging communications technology — new SATCOM constellations, private 5G, mesh and ad hoc networking, software-defined radio — to strengthen the resilience of CHAOS's coherent, distributed sensor and effector networks.
• You'll be the single point of accountability ensuring that every communications path — device-to-device, device-to-internet, device-to-cellular/ISP — is technically functional and legally authorized before the team departs for any demonstration or contract delivery, domestically or with a foreign partner

Responsibilities

• Own the technical performance of all communications systems connecting CHAOS-developed devices to each other and to external networks, including point-to-point RF/microwave dishes, 5G and cellular modems, Starlink and other SATCOM terminals, fiber network interconnects, MPU5/tactical radios
• customer mesh networks.
• Design, test, and validate link budgets, network architecture, and failover paths for each deployment configuration.
• Conduct pre-deployment communications validation, confirming every link a system depends on is functional and authorized before the team travels to a site.
• Support and troubleshoot connectivity problems, both in person in the field and remotely in collaboration with the rest of the team, to enable continuous uptime of our systems.
• Continuously evaluate emerging communications technologies — new SATCOM constellations, private 5G/O-RAN, mesh/ad hoc networking, software-defined radio
• PNT-independent comms — for applicability to coherent, distributed defense networks.
• Recommend and pilot new communications technology to reduce single points of failure and improve resilience in contested or denied environments.
• Identify and document acceptable communications protocols, frequency bands, and licensing authorities on a country-by-country basis for every location where CHAOS conducts demonstrations or deliveries.
• Research and track national cellular band allocations, carrier requirements, and roaming agreements required for CHAOS systems to operate abroad.
• Determine Starlink service availability, mobility/roaming authorization status, and any country-specific restrictions or prohibitions before scheduling a deployment.
• Identify host-nation spectrum management authority licensing and frequency coordination requirements, including deconfliction with military users when operating near or alongside foreign partners.
• Track national type-approval/equipment certification requirements (e.g., CE/RED, ANATEL, IFT, SRRC, WPC-ETA, NBTC, and equivalent national certification bodies) applicable to RF hardware carried into a country.
• Coordinate with legal and export-control teams on ITAR/EAR classification, Wassenaar Arrangement dual-use controls, and national encryption import/registration requirements for radios, dishes, and modems.
• Manage customs and temporary import documentation for communications equipment carried into a country for demonstration or delivery.
• Support diplomatic clearance, End User Certificate, and foreign partner government authorization requests tied to communications equipment.
• Maintain a living reference library of country-specific communications and spectrum requirements to support rapid deployment planning.
• Coordinate with program management, field engineering, and foreign partner points of contact to build a complete communications plan for every demonstration and delivery.
• Interface with DoD spectrum management and frequency coordination channels for domestic and OCONUS training and test events.
• Support proposal and capture teams with technical input on communications architecture and regulatory risk for new business.
• Willing to travel (typically 30–50%) to customer, test, and partner-nation sites for deployments and mission support, both CONUS and OCONUS.
• Minimum Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, RF Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 7 years of experience in RF/wireless communications systems engineering, spectrum management, or telecommunications regulatory affairs.
• Hands-on experience with tactical radios (MPU5/SRW or similar), SATCOM terminals (Starlink or comparable), point-to-point RF/microwave links, and cellular/5G modem integration.
• Working knowledge of ITU Radio Regulations and how national spectrum authorities implement them.
• Familiarity with US export control regimes (ITAR, EAR) as applied to communications and RF hardware.
• Experience supporting international deployments, demonstrations, or Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs.
• Ability to interpret link budgets, network architecture diagrams, technical manuals, and regulatory filings.
• Strong technical writing and cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to translate regulatory findings into clear go/no-go guidance for program teams.
• Ability to satisfy customer, program, export-control, background, and drug-testing requirements applicable to assigned work.
• Must currently hold, or be able to obtain and maintain, a U.S. security clearance.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally, including to non-permissive or austere environments.
• Preferred Requirements:
• Direct experience with L3Harris MPU5/ANW2 or equivalent tactical networking waveforms.
• Experience with Starlink mobility/enterprise terminals and their country-by-country regulatory posture.
• Prior work with DISA, the Joint Spectrum Center, or a service-level spectrum management office.
• Experience navigating national type-approval processes (e.g., CE/RED, ANATEL, SRRC, WPC-ETA).
• Familiarity with encryption import/export declaration processes (e.g., Wassenaar-aligned national regimes).
• Prior service in a military or defense-contractor role involving communications planning.
• Existing relationships with foreign partner-nation telecom regulators or in-country integrators.
• Active DoD Secret or Top Secret clearance.
• Required Competencies:
• Systems-level RF and network engineering judgment, link-budget analysis, and failure-mode thinking.
• Regulatory research discipline — able to track, interpret, and apply country-specific telecom, spectrum, and customs requirements.
• Cross-functional communication with engineering, legal, export-control, program management, and foreign partner stakeholders.
• Accurate technical and compliance documentation, attention to detail, and composure under deployment-timeline pressure.
• Proactive technology scouting and a bias toward resilient, low-single-point-of-failure network design.
• Physical & Work Requirements
• Work at company facilities, test ranges, and customer or partner-nation sites, including outdoor and field environments in variable weather and terrain.
• Set up, test, and troubleshoot RF and network hardware, including antennas, dishes, radios, and modems, sometimes in confined or elevated positions.
• Lift or carry up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Work early mornings, evenings, weekends, or extended deployment windows, and travel for multi-day campaigns, both CONUS and OCONUS.
• Why CHAOS?
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits : 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices
• The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity
• benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.
• Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.
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