Senior Systems Engineer - RF Sensing and Mission Systems

About us

At Viasat, the work you do helps people stay connected in ways that matter, from everyday moments to critical missions across air, land, sea, and space.

We’re a place for people who are curious, bold, and motivated by meaningful work. Here, you'll have the opportunity to make an impact, explore new possibilities, and grow your career in ways that align with your interests and goals. When you're ready to take on something new, you'll find leaders who support your development and help you turn your ambition into action.

What you'll do

Join Viasat's Government organization as a Senior Staff Systems Engineer supporting the development of advanced RF sensing, signal exploitation, communications, and mission systems. This role serves as a lead system architect responsible for transforming customer mission needs into innovative technical solutions and well-defined system requirements.

The successful candidate will work across hardware, software, embedded systems, networking, RF, and sensing disciplines to develop system architectures and technical roadmaps for complex defense and aerospace applications. This role requires both strategic vision and hands-on systems engineering leadership to guide programs from concept development through deployment.

The day-to-day

You will be responsible for:

• Developing system architectures, technical strategies, and implementation roadmaps for advanced mission systems.
• Translating broad customer objectives into system concepts, requirements, and technical solutions.
• Leading requirements development, decomposition, allocation, and traceability across hardware, software, networking, and sensing subsystems.
• Performing system-level trade studies to evaluate architecture options, technical risks, and performance objectives.
• Defining and evaluating communications, RF sensing, signal exploitation, and distributed system architectures.
• Collaborating with software, hardware, FPGA, embedded systems, and integration teams to ensure successful implementation of system requirements.
• Supporting technical planning, solution development, customer engagements, and proposal activities.
• Conducting technical reviews and presenting system architectures, concepts of operations (CONOPS), and design approaches to internal leadership and government customers.
• Supporting integration, verification, validation, and operational demonstrations.
• Providing technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical discipline. Advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience developing and architecting complex defense, aerospace, communications, sensing, or mission systems.
• Demonstrated ability to develop system vision, architectures, and requirements from broad customer goals and mission objectives.
• Experience with RF sensing, signal exploitation, communications systems, or related mission applications.
• Strong understanding of networked and distributed system architectures.
• Experience leading requirements analysis, allocation, verification, and validation activities.
• Familiarity with embedded systems, software development, and hardware design processes.
• Working knowledge of systems engineering methodologies, requirements management, and technical baseline control.
• Experience conducting system trade studies and technical performance analyses.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including customer-facing technical presentations and briefings.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Active Secret clearance and ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance along with SAP approvals.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

What will help you on the job

• Experience with distributed RF systems and networked sensing architectures.
• Background in RF direction finding, geolocation, spectrum monitoring, signal classification, or signal exploitation.
• Familiarity with software-defined radios and modern communication systems.
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools and practices.
• Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, Jama, or equivalent.
• Hands-on experience with embedded processing platforms, FPGA-based systems, digital hardware, and networking technologies.
• Experience supporting DoD programs through customer engagement, capture, proposal development, and technical leadership activities.
• Active Top Secret clearance; TS/SCI preferred.

Salary range

$180,500.00 - $285,000.00 / annually. For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $224,500.00- $336,500.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered.

Learn more about Viasat’s comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.

EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic.

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