Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

401K plan with company match

Career development opportunities

Job summary

KBR's National Security Solutions team seeks a Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer in San Diego to lead architecture, analysis, integration and technical oversight of advanced satellite communications systems, spanning RF, IF, baseband and networking. You will optimize modem and terminal architectures for military and commercial SATCOM with focus on physical layer performance and waveform implementation.

With 8+ years in communications system development and DoD experience, you will translate RF

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 working in DoD or defense communications programs.
• Strong RF engineering principles including non-linear effects, phase noise, filtering, and interference analysis.
• Deep understanding of digital communications theory including modulation, coding, synchronization, and detection.
• Active DoD SECRET clearance.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and define modem and RF subsystem architectures for SATCOM systems.
• Evaluate modulation and coding schemes (QPSK, 8PSK, APSK variants, LDPC, Turbo) 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 SoC/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 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.

Skills

RF engineering

Digital communications

Modem development

System integration

Mentoring

Customer interfacing

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Communications/RF/Signal Processing)

Tools

MATLAB

HDL (Verilog/VHDL)

Job description

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR! KBR's National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country's most critical role - protecting our national security.

Title

Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR! KBR's National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country's most critical role - protecting our national security.

Why Join Us?

Innovative Projects: KBR's work is at the forefront of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions.

Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace.

Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in designing and optimizing defense systems that ensure national security and shape the future of space defense.

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 include 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: $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.

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.