Senior Spacecraft Materials & Process Engineer

Viasat; Arizona; On-site; USD 176,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Viasat is seeking a Staff Materials & Process Engineer to lead research, selection, and qualification of advanced materials for next-generation space platforms. You will drive process development and collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program management.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in spacecraft materials with independent problem solving and leadership across teams, mentoring rising engineers and contributing to the full lifecycle from

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgy, Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of materials and process engineering experience in space hardware development.
• Experience leading materials and process development for spacecraft, satellites, or aerospace systems.
• Knowledge of high-performance composites, core materials, surface treatments, coatings, and bonding processes.
• Hands-on experience with composite manufacturing (hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, cure optimization).
• Familiarity with material characterization and analytical testing (FTIR, DSC, DMA).
• Experience defining, qualifying, and troubleshooting manufacturing shop floor processes and C/CA actions.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Lead materials and process engineering efforts for satellite structures, mechanisms, payloads, and deployable assemblies.
• Develop specs, processing guidelines, and assembly procedures for composite, metallic, and non-metallic materials.
• Define problems, run trade studies, and design engineering solutions balancing performance, schedule, cost, and risk.
• Own material properties characterization, design allowables, test programs, and process specs from concept to on-orbit support.
• Perform and direct material failure analysis, life predictions, and DoE to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality.
• Review and approve drawings, specs, and manufacturing instructions; ensure subcontractor procedures meet requirements.
• Lead qualifications, hardware integration, shop floor support, and corrective actions.
• Drive design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR/FRR) and provide technical recommendations to leadership.
• Collaborate with mechanical, systems, thermal, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams.
• Evaluate new technologies, materials, and processes to improve capability and scale.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior engineers and designers.
• Serve as SME in spacecraft materials and processing.

Skills

Materials engineering

Process engineering

Spacecraft materials

Composite materials

Adhesive bonding

Surface treatments

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science or related field

Tools

FTIR

DSC

DMA

Job description

Viasat is seeking a Staff Materials & Process Engineer to lead research, selection, and qualification of advanced materials for next-generation space platforms. You will drive process development and collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program management.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in spacecraft materials with independent problem solving and leadership across teams, mentoring rising engineers and contributing to the full lifecycle from