Senior Optical Systems Test Engineer

Viasat; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Viasat is seeking a Systems Test Engineer - Optical Systems in Carlsbad, CA to drive verification strategies and system-level testing across optical, RF, digital, and embedded platforms. You will lead test planning, architecture, automation, and data-driven evaluation throughout development, qualification, and customer testing phases.

The role requires 7+ years in hardware test, strong programming (Python/MATLAB/LabVIEW/C#), and experience with advanced optical test equipment. U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline required.
• 7+ years of experience designing, developing, integrating, and testing complex hardware systems.
• Experience developing and executing test strategies for fiber-optic, free-space optical, photonic, electro-optical, RF, or integrated communication systems.
• Experience developing automated test solutions using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, C#, or similar languages.
• Experience with optical laboratory instrumentation (OSA, power meters, BER test sets, oscilloscopes, attenuators, network analyzers, signal generators).
• Ability to obtain Secret Clearance and U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Define verification and validation strategies for optical systems and hardware platforms.
• Develop system-level test plans, procedures, and verification matrices.
• Design and implement optical, electrical, RF, and system-level test architectures and calibration methods.
• Develop automated test solutions using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or C#.
• Lead root-cause investigations and coordinate corrective actions for development and production hardware.
• Generate test reports and present findings to leadership and customers.

Skills

Hardware tests

System testing

Test automation

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

C#

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

OSA

Optical Power Meters

BER Test Sets

High-Speed Oscilloscopes

Optical Attenuators

Network Analyzers

Signal Generators

Job description

Viasat is seeking a Systems Test Engineer - Optical Systems in Carlsbad, CA to drive verification strategies and system-level testing across optical, RF, digital, and embedded platforms. You will lead test planning, architecture, automation, and data-driven evaluation throughout development, qualification, and customer testing phases.

The role requires 7+ years in hardware test, strong programming (Python/MATLAB/LabVIEW/C#), and experience with advanced optical test equipment. U.S.