What you'll doWe are seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to provide technical leadership and end-to-end ownership of space system definition and analysis. This role is responsible for defining system architectures, owning technical budgets, and leading requirements development across the full system lifecycle.
The Systems Engineer serves as a central technical authority, integrating subsystem teams, guiding system trade studies, and ensuring disciplined execution of requirements, analyses, and verification planning.
The day-to-day- Own end-to-end space system technical budgets, including mass, power, data, performance, margins, and system constraints
- Lead space system architecture definition and technical trade studies to guide design decisions
- Develop, author, and maintain system-level technical artifacts including SRDs, TRDs, and related specifications
- Drive requirements decomposition, allocation, and requirements burndown across all subsystems
- Ensure traceability between mission objectives, system requirements, subsystem designs, and verification plans
- Provide technical leadership across cross-functional engineering teams to resolve system-level issues and interfaces
- Lead system participation in major lifecycle reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, readiness reviews)
- Define system-level verification and validation strategies in partnership with integration and test teams
- Identify, assess, and manage system-level risks, assumptions, and margin posture
- Produce clear, concise technical documentation and briefings to support engineering and leadership decision-making
- Mentor other systems engineers and contribute to improving systems engineering practices and standards
What you'll need- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience
- 10+ years experience in systems engineering supporting complex space or aerospace systems
- Proven experience owning and managing space system technical budgets and analyses
- Demonstrated expertise in writing and controlling system level requirements and specifications
- Strong command of systems engineering processes across the full development lifecycle
- Ability to independently define complex problems, drive solutions, and influence technical outcomes without direct authority
- Excellent technical communication skills, including senior level design and risk discussions
What will help you on the job- Deep experience with space system architectures and subsystem integration
- Familiarity with model-based systems engineering and requirements management tools
- Background in high-reliability, mission-critical system development
- Ability to balance technical rigor with programmatic constraints
- A systems-level mindset with strong attention to margins, interfaces, and verification closure
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.
