Ground Systems Engineer

ViaSat Inc.•Tempe, AZ

57d•Onsite

About The Position

The Ground Segment Engineering group (GSE) is one of five groups under the Satellite Operations Division (SatOps), Viasat Global Services (VGS). SatOps staff are mostly deployed in London (UK) and Carlsbad and Tempe (USA). Responsibilities of GSE include system engineering and operational support duties relevant to Viasat's Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C) network, Viasat's In-Orbit Test (IOT) infrastructure, Payload Control Systems (PCS) and several other ground-based subsystems. The group is also responsible for some commercial activities, e.g. the provision of TT&C services during the transfer orbit of newly launched satellites (third-party launch support) or In-Range rocket telemetry services for external clients, and other ground opportunities developed by the business units. Going forward, a substantial implementation effort will be required from the group to timely meet specific IOT and on-station satellite control requirements of the Viasat-3 F2 and F3, GX789 and I-8 satellite programmes. As a member of GSE, provide technical, operational and programmatic contributions to the core engineering activities of the group (in support of Viasat's present and future satellite generations), to the commercial activities such as third-party launch support or In-Range rocket telemetry service, and to specific projects such as the planning, preparation, co-ordination and execution of the payload In-Orbit Test campaigns of Viasat's newly launched satellites. The role may include taking up leadership and/or programme management responsibility for specified activities or tasks. The Ground Systems Engineer is expected to contribute to (and in some cases lead) in the following areas of work: Provide support to various core engineering and/or operational activities of the GSE group as required to support Viasat's present and future satellites ensuring maximum service availability, TT&C launch support activities including In-Range, network upgrades and augmentation, evolution and tech refresh initiatives, maintenance activities, ground systems support including on-call etc Participate in the procurement and deployment of Viasat and non-Viasat TT&C/PCS/IOT services, equipment and systems including development of requirements, RFP specifications, evaluation of bids, negotiations with selected bidders, monitoring technical and operational aspects of contracts Actively participate in the resolution of ground system anomalies ensuring the highest level of system uptime possible Evaluate test methods and test results, and participate in factory and on-site acceptance testing for baseband, IF, RF, PCS, IOT earth station equipment. Perform independent analysis of earth station performance. Support IV&V / Compatibility Testing planning and co-ordination, procedures development and test execution, Integration and Test (I&T) activities Develop Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Operations Concept documents (CONOPS), automated procedures and Operations and Maintenance plans (O&M) Develop and maintain link budgets, including accuracy calculations of earth station ranging systems (standard tone ranging and spread-spectrum ranging) RF Sensing systems: operate and support existing systems, and contribute to future generation systems Ensure training and handover to operations personnel are carried out smoothly. Set up maintenance arrangements as necessary. Develop methods of monitoring earth stations to ensure availability requirements are met For launch and early orbit operations (LEOP) of Viasat and non-Viasat satellites, support ground preparations and implementation activities, develop Specialised Operations Plans (SOPs), participate to rehearsals and exercises, provide real-time support during the mission either on-site or at the SCC Participate to the preparation and execution of payload IOT campaigns of Viasat satellites, including development of payload IOT procedures, Sequences of Events (SOEs) and test sequences Support the ongoing integration between legacy Inmarsat and legacy Viasat SatOps ground segment operations and processes

Requirements

Bachelor, master's degree, or related certifications in Computer Science, electrical engineering, Mathematics, Physics or other relevant engineering field and 1+ years of experience with the development of implementation of satellite ground systems of multiple satellites from multiple manufacturers
Knowledge of Satellite communications, including design, implementation, testing and operations of: earth station antennas, RF and IF satellite communications equipment, TT&C baseband ground systems, satellite IOT test benches, monitor and control systems
Operational experience with commercial off the shelf (COTS) satellite control and orbital analysis software systems (specifically the Kratos EPOCH software suite), TT&C hardware, and computing hardware
Operations experience with ground systems controlling multiple satellites from multiple manufacturers (fleet operations)
Understanding of satellite sub-systems, technologies, and operations
Knowledge in Security, and system maintenance for space and ground systems
Knowledge of operations including: procedure development, training, installation, and deployment
Experience with hardware and software systems integration, verification, and validation
Ability to work constructively as a team member with multidisciplinary/multinational experts (e.g., satellite engineers, orbital engineers, satellite control professionals, contractors/vendors, and Viasat IT/Networking/Cybersecurity), within an international telecommunications environment
Ability to prioritize and to work well under pressure
Analytical approach to problems, but prepared to take practical shortcuts when necessary
US citizenship required
Must be able to obtain a United States Top Secret Clearance
Work location is our office in Carlsbad, CA or Tempe, AZ

Nice To Haves

Project management skills
Knowledge of networking / data communications systems and protocols (TCP/IP in particular);
Experience of satellite IOT and associated testing
Operational experience with commercial operating and virtualization systems such as Microsoft Windows, LINUX, and VMWare
Proficiency or experience with Linux/Windows system administration
Knowledge or interest in learning both compiled and scripting languages
Automation of satellite operation tasks, including the creation of automated procedures for both satellite and ground components using manufacturers recommend operations procedures
Good negotiation skills with customers and suppliers

Responsibilities

Provide support to various core engineering and/or operational activities of the GSE group as required to support Viasat's present and future satellites ensuring maximum service availability, TT&C launch support activities including In-Range, network upgrades and augmentation, evolution and tech refresh initiatives, maintenance activities, ground systems support including on-call etc
Participate in the procurement and deployment of Viasat and non-Viasat TT&C/PCS/IOT services, equipment and systems including development of requirements, RFP specifications, evaluation of bids, negotiations with selected bidders, monitoring technical and operational aspects of contracts
Actively participate in the resolution of ground system anomalies ensuring the highest level of system uptime possible
Evaluate test methods and test results, and participate in factory and on-site acceptance testing for baseband, IF, RF, PCS, IOT earth station equipment. Perform independent analysis of earth station performance. Support IV&V / Compatibility Testing planning and co-ordination, procedures development and test execution, Integration and Test (I&T) activities
Develop Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Operations Concept documents (CONOPS), automated procedures and Operations and Maintenance plans (O&M)
Develop and maintain link budgets, including accuracy calculations of earth station ranging systems (standard tone ranging and spread-spectrum ranging)
RF Sensing systems: operate and support existing systems, and contribute to future generation systems
Ensure training and handover to operations personnel are carried out smoothly. Set up maintenance arrangements as necessary. Develop methods of monitoring earth stations to ensure availability requirements are met
For launch and early orbit operations (LEOP) of Viasat and non-Viasat satellites, support ground preparations and implementation activities, develop Specialised Operations Plans (SOPs), participate to rehearsals and exercises, provide real-time support during the mission either on-site or at the SCC
Participate to the preparation and execution of payload IOT campaigns of Viasat satellites, including development of payload IOT procedures, Sequences of Events (SOEs) and test sequences
Support the ongoing integration between legacy Inmarsat and legacy Viasat SatOps ground segment operations and processes