Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer

KBR; Newport (RI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K plan with company match

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

AD&D

Flexible spending account

Paid time off

Flexible work schedule

Job summary

The Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer at KBR will lead the architecture, analysis, integration, and technical oversight of advanced satellite communications systems. The role emphasizes RF engineering, digital communications, and modem development across RF, IF, baseband, and networking layers to evaluate and define modem and terminal architectures for military and commercial SATCOM programs.

You will interface with DoD customers, vendors, and internal teams; perform link-budget analyses; 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 with modem, waveform, or RF subsystem design or integration.
• Experience with integration and system-level testing.
• Experience in DoD or defense communications programs.
• Strong RF principles including non-linear effects, phase noise, filtering, and interference analysis.
• Deep understanding of digital communications theory and modulation/coding.
• Active DoD SECRET clearance.

Responsibilities

• Analyse modulation/coding performance, waveform optimization and MA techniques.
• Define modem and RF subsystem architectures for SATCOM systems.
• Evaluate modulation schemes under operational link conditions.
• Assess and support multiple access techniques.
• Develop link budgets, spectral efficiency analyses and interference mitigation.
• Support SoC/FPGA modem implementations and hardware/software partitioning.
• Define system requirements across RF, IF, baseband and Layer 2 interfaces.
• Lead technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and interface with customers.

Skills

RF engineering

Digital communications

Modem development

SoC/FPGA

Link budget

Interference analysis

System testing

DoD clearance

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related

M.S. in Electrical Engineering (preferred)

Tools

MATLAB

HDL

C/C++

Job description

Title: Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer

At KBR, we deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 85 countries and operations in over 28 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results.

Trinzic is the future independent company to be created through the planned spin-off of KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business, expected in January 2027. Our people work at the frontier of what is possible, delivering solutions in challenging environments and advancing some of the world's highest-priority national security and space missions.

Backed by decades of mission success, deep expertise, and trusted partnerships, Trinzic will launch as a global organization with more than 18,000 employees supporting customers around the world. Join us at a defining moment and help shape the future of a company built to tackle complex challenges and make a meaningful impact.

Candidates who join KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business before the spin-off will transition to Trinzic when the separation is complete and will not need to reapply for employment.

Summary:

The Senior Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Systems Engineer will support the architecture, analysis, integration, and technical oversight of advanced satellite communications systems. The role requires strong technical depth in RF engineering, digital communications, and modem development, with emphasis on physical layer performance and waveform implementation. The engineer will work across RF, IF, baseband, and networking layers to evaluate and develop modem and terminal architectures for military and commercial satellite communications systems.

Responsibilities:

• Analysis of modulation and coding performance, multiple access techniques, waveform optimization, and integration of SoC/FPGA-based communications subsystems.
• Analyze and define modem and RF subsystem architectures for SATCOM systems
• Evaluate modulation and coding schemes (QPSK, 8PSK, APSK variants, LDPC, Turbo, etc.) under operational link conditions
• Assess and support implementation of multiple access techniques
• Develop and review link budgets, spectral efficiency analysis, and interference mitigation strategies
• Support System-on-Chip (SoC) or FPGA-based modem implementations and hardware/software partitioning decisions
• Define system and interface requirements across RF, IF, baseband, and Layer 2 interfaces
• Support integration and test of modem and terminal subsystems in laboratory and field environments
• Identify technical risks and performance trades across waveform, RF, and network layers.
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for SATCOM systems and technologies.
• Mentor junior engineers and support technical development of project teams.
• Lead technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and customer readiness reviews.
• Interface directly with customers, government stakeholders, vendors, and subcontractors.

Required Qualifications:

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in communications system development
• Demonstrated hands-on experience supporting modem, waveform, or RF subsystem design or integration
• Experience supporting integration and system-level testing
• Experience working in DoD or defense communications programs
• Strong foundation in RF engineering principles including non-linear effects, phase noise, filtering, frequency planning, and interference analysis
• Deep understanding of digital communications theory including modulation, coding, synchronization, and detection
• Experience evaluating or implementing ModCod strategies and adaptive coding and modulation
• Experience with multiple access schemes
• Experience performing link budget analysis and system performance modeling
• Experience with FPGA or SoC-based modem architectures
• Experience with modeling/simulation tools such as MATLAB or equivalent
• Ability to translate waveform and RF performance analysis into actionable system requirements
• Active DoD SECRET clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• MS in Electrical Engineering (Communications, RF, or Signal Processing concentration preferred)
• Experience with MILSATCOM (WGS, AEHF, MUOS) or Commercial SATCOM systems
• Experience with protected waveforms and secure modem architectures
• Experience reviewing or contributing to DSP implementations in C/C++ or HDL
• Active DoD Top Secret clearance

Scheduled Weekly Hours:40

Basic Compensation: The approximate annual salary for this role is $140-155k.

The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Additional Compensation:

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short term incentives, long term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.

Ready to Make a Difference?

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.