Lead Systems Engineer - Communication & Sensing Systems

Lead Systems Engineer - Communication & Sensing Systems Viasat $180,500.00 - $285,000.00 United States, California, Carlsbad 6155 El Camino Real (Show on map) May 12, 2026 About us One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we're on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We're looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team. What you'll do As a Lead Systems Engineer - Communications and Sensing Systems within the Viasat Government Space and Emerging Technologies group, you will lead the system architecture for a sophisticated communication and sensing system; drive endtoend technical definition from mission needs through delivery, lead the flow-down and development of requirements to ensure mission objectives, performance goals, and system constraints are correctly captured, allocated, and maintained. The day-to-day In this role, you'll: Guide CONOPS development, subsystem architecture decisions, interface definitions, calibration strategies and systemlevel performance modeling, and serve as the technical authority for hardware, firmware, software, algorithms, networking, and integration & test teams Drive crossprogram consistency to ensure system-level traceability, verification strategy and integration readiness across engineering disciplines Support proposal architecture trades, cost/schedule planning and technical communication with internal stakeholders and government customers while managing the system technical baseline, including requirements, interfaces, architecture decisions, and configuration control Support system integration by providing guidance on expected behaviors, rootcause analysis and performance optimization in addition to delivering high-quality engineering documentation, technical briefs, and formal design review materials What you'll need 10+ years' experience in systemlevel engineering, architecture development or technical leadership for complex communications, RF, space, or sensing systems Proven understanding of systems engineering fundamentals Demonstrated experience leading multidiscipline engineering teams across hardware, firmware, software, and algorithm domains Ability to distill mission needs into clear architectural decisions and technical direction Proven communication skills (both verbal and written) with experience delivering technical briefs and guiding design reviews Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering or related technical field US Government position. US Citizenship required Active DoD Top Secret Clearance (with SCI eligibility) or have held one in the last two years Ability to travel up to 10% This role must be based in Carlsbad, CA What will help you on the job Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering or related technical field Active DoD TS/SCI Clearance with SAP Experience with modeling and simulation environments for systemlevel performance prediction and trade studies Familiarity with RF systems, waveform design principles, calibration strategies, or sensing system performance metrics Proven experience with integration of hardware, firmware, and software on platforms such as FPGAs, processors, or embedded architectures

INCOSE ASE/CSEP

systems engineering certification Salary range $180,500.00 - $285,000.00 / annually. For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and 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. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.