RF Systems Lead

Viasat; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Viasat is seeking a Radio Frequency and Antenna Systems Engineer to lead a multidisciplinary team through the hardware development lifecycle for a sophisticated communication and sensing system. You will guide RF/antenna, digital hardware, and systems engineers from requirements through production, fielding, and sustainment.

The role emphasizes architecture trade studies, system integration, and customer engagements, with travel up to 10%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with 10+ years RF hardware experience or Associate's degree with 15+ years experience

Responsibilities

• Direct RF and Antenna subsystem hardware design across internal teams and external subcontractors
• Specify, develop, and integrate complex RF and multi-band Antenna hardware, including power amplifiers, up/down converters, low noise amplifiers, and adaptive antenna positioners
• Analyze and simulate performance for key metrics including G/T, Noise Figure, C/N, SINAD, IIP3, P1dB, output power, harmonics and impacts of interference
• Perform trade study evaluations to inform system-level architectural decisions, including end-to-end link budgets and cascaded analysis for various antenna systems operating from L-band to Ka-band
• Inform make/buy decisions and act as the primary technical focal point for subcontracted RF and Antenna subsystem hardware, providing rigorous review and challenge of designs, analyses, and deliverables to ensure compliance
• Work closely with PCB CAD engineers to optimize circuit card layout to minimize signal losses and reduce coupling with undesired signals
• Serve as the RF/Systems technical hardware subject matter expert (SME) for customer engagements
• Define verification strategies against system requirements to ensure successful system integration and robust in-field performance
• Deliver high-quality technical briefings and contribute to successful execution of major design reviews (PDR, CDR) and internal milestone reviews
• Adhere to sound engineering processes, design standards, and configuration management (CM) controls
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and New Product Introduction (NPI) teams to manage hardware builds and transition to production
• Collaborate with Test Leads to define comprehensive test requirements and identify Special Test Equipment (STE) needs

Skills

Technical leadership

RF hardware design

Antenna systems design

Firmware & DSP coordination

Technical communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering

Associate's degree + 15+ years experience

Job description

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 Radio Frequency (RF) and Antenna Systems Engineer within the Viasat Government Space and Emerging Technologies group, you will lead a multidisciplinary team of engineers through the entire hardware development lifecycle, from requirements definition through production, fielding, and sustainment, for a sophisticated communication and sensing system.

The day-to-day

As a working leader, you will guide a multidisciplinary team of RF and Digital Hardware, Systems, Programmable Logic, and Antenna Engineers while directly contributing to the technical execution of the program and related strategic initiatives.

You will:

• Direct RF and Antenna subsystem hardware design across internal teams and external subcontractors
• Specify, develop, and integrate complex RF and multi-band Antenna hardware, including power amplifiers, up/down converters, low noise amplifiers, and adaptive antenna positioners
• Analyze and simulate performance for key metrics including G/T, Noise Figure, C/N, SINAD, IIP3, P1dB, output power, harmonics and impacts of interference
• Perform trade study evaluations to inform system-level architectural decisions, including end-to-end link budgets and cascaded analysis for various antenna systems operating from L-band to Ka-band
• Inform make/buy decisions and act as the primary technical focal point for subcontracted RF and Antenna subsystem hardware, providing rigorous review and challenge of designs, analyses, and deliverables to ensure compliance
• Work closely with PCB CAD engineers to optimize circuit card layout to minimize signal losses and reduce coupling with undesired signals
• Serve as the RF/Systems technical hardware subject matter expert (SME) for customer engagements
• Define verification strategies against system requirements to ensure successful system integration and robust in-field performance

• Deliver high-quality technical briefings and contribute to successful execution of major design reviews (PDR, CDR) and internal milestone reviews
• Adhere to sound engineering processes, design standards, and configuration management (CM) controls
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and New Product Introduction (NPI) teams to manage hardware builds and transition to production
• Collaborate with Test Leads to define comprehensive test requirements and identify Special Test Equipment (STE) needs

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and 10+ years of experience or Associate's degree and 15+ years of experience in RF hardware engineering
• Demonstrated technical leadership for complex communications, RF, space, or sensing systems
• A track history of successfully designing RF front ends and antenna systems from concept to production
• Demonstrated experience leading multidiscipline engineering teams across RF hardware, firmware, and DSP
• Proven communication skills (both verbal and written) with experience delivering technical briefs and guiding customer design reviews
• US Government position. US Citizenship required
• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance (with SCI eligibility)
• Ability to travel up to 10%

What will help you on the job

• Master's degree in electrical engineering or a related technical field
• Active DoD TS/SCI Clearance with SAP
• Experience collaborating effectively with distributed teams across time zones, functions, cultures, and disciplines
• Proven experience with integration of RF transceiver hardware, firmware, and antenna subsystems
• Experience integrating subcontracted hardware into larger system architectures
• Strong troubleshooting, debug, and rootcause analysis skills across HW/FW boundaries
• Familiarity with waveform design principles, transceiver and Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) calibration strategies, or sensing system performance metrics
• Unrelenting customer focus, a passion for excellence, and a one-team mindset

Salary range

$141,500.00 - $224,000.00 / 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 $176,000.00- $264,000.00/ 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.