Senior SATCOM Systems Architect

KBR Careers; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR's National Security Solutions team seeks a Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer in San Diego to drive architecture, analysis, integration, and oversight of advanced satellite communications systems. You will work across RF, IF, baseband, and Layer 2 interfaces with focus on physical layer performance and waveform implementation.

Responsibilities include modulation/coding evaluation, multiple access techniques, and SoC/FPGA modem support.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in communications system development.
• Hands-on experience supporting modem, waveform, or RF subsystem design or integration.
• Experience supporting integration and system-level testing.
• Experience with DoD or defense communications programs.
• Strong RF engineering fundamentals including non-linear effects, phase noise, filtering, and interference analysis.
• Deep understanding of digital communications theory: modulation, coding, synchronization, detection.
• Experience with ModCod strategies and adaptive coding.
• Active DoD SECRET clearance.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and define modem and RF subsystem architectures for SATCOM systems.
• Evaluate modulation and coding schemes under operational link conditions.
• Assess and support implementation of multiple access techniques.
• Develop and review link budgets, spectral efficiency analysis, and interference mitigation.
• Support SoC or FPGA-based modem implementations and hardware/software partitioning decisions.
• Define system and interface requirements across RF, IF, baseband, and Layer 2.
• Support integration and test of modem and terminal subsystems in lab and field.
• Identify technical risks and performance trades across waveform, RF, and network layers.
• Serve as SME for SATCOM systems and mentor junior engineers.
• Lead technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and customer readiness.
• Interface with customers, government stakeholders, vendors, and subcontractors.

Skills

RF engineering

Digital communications

Modem development

SoC/FPGA modem architectures

MATLAB

C/C++/HDL

DoD security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

HDL

Job description

KBR's National Security Solutions team seeks a Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer in San Diego to drive architecture, analysis, integration, and oversight of advanced satellite communications systems. You will work across RF, IF, baseband, and Layer 2 interfaces with focus on physical layer performance and waveform implementation.

Responsibilities include modulation/coding evaluation, multiple access techniques, and SoC/FPGA modem support.