Project Engineer - Government Aviation

Viasat, Inc.•Carlsbad, CA

About The Position

Viasat’s Government Aviation Team is looking for a Project Engineer to help with technical execution of our Government Aviation programs and capture efforts. This will include completing the delivery of currently scoped developments as well as future functionality and enhancements to Internal Research and Development (IRAD) Government Aviation programs, products, and services.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a technical field (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science), including demonstrated technical leadership experience relevant to satellite communications.
Excellent problem‑solving and debugging skills, clear and effective communication, and a track record of collaborating across diverse technical and organizational teams, including internal stakeholders, vendors, subcontractors, and partners.
Experience leading SEIT and technical milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR); accountability for engineering cost/schedule/TPMs, risk/opportunity management, program variance (cost, schedule and performance); and working in quick capability release environments.
Ability to drive roadmap, strategy, and requirements management to achieve priorities.
Strong Systems Engineering background.
Understanding or experience with MIL-STD requirements and test methods.
U.S. Citizenship required.
Ability to travel up to 25% both CONUS or OCONUS.

Nice To Haves

4+ years of demonstrated experience with satellite communications systems.
Active DoD Secret Clearance or ability to obtain when administratively feasible.
Experience in delivering communications systems for aviation customers, including platform integration.
Experience with commonly used communications and electrical test equipment (e.g. Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer, Power Meter, traffic generator and others).
Hands on experience working with SATCOM terminals and communications solutions.
Experience with Government standards and requirements, such as; WGS Certification requirements, MIL-STE-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-1275, DO-160, and RMF.

Responsibilities

Shape product vision and strategy by integrating market and customer feedback into a clear roadmap that drives engineering execution and Systems Integration, Engineering, and Test SEIT activities driving the IRAD engineering process.
Lead design, development, system integration, delivery, and support while driving product vision, roadmap, and requirements strategy, and overseeing SEIT activities not limited to requirements and architecture through integration, verification, validation, and sustainment of IRAD programs which will transition to a customer (external) program.
Use or understanding of requirements tools (DOORS/Jama) to decompose requirements, conduct trade studies, manage change impacts, and maintain the technical baseline and configuration control.
Use or understanding of technical project executions tools (Jira, tracking spreadsheets) and excellent multi-disciplinary team coordination.
Oversee Bill of Material (BOM) development and release processes using the Agile PLM platform, coordinating updates across engineering, production, and supply chain functions.
Lead and mentor multi‑disciplinary teams; interface with internal customers, partners, and stakeholders on highly technical topics.
Represent engineering in System Requirements Review (SRR)/ Preliminary Design Review (PDR)/ Critical Design Review (CDR) and other technical and programmatic level reviews as needed and coordinate formal system‑level testing and integration efforts within the System Integration Lab (SIL).
Own engineering cost, schedule, and technical performance; lead staffing, budgets, scope; drive risk & opportunity management and technical reporting; and define performance measures and process rigor scaled to project complexity with the understanding of use of internal funding and ensure technical capability meets baseline requirements supporting the customer funded programs.
Coordinate with Production and Operations leadership to align schedules, address manufacturing risks, drive readiness for integration and delivery, and ensure execution against program commitments.
Steer integrated internal project teams and navigate stakeholder needs to deliver what’s realistically achievable.
Serve as engineering focal for proposals and Basis of Estimates (BOEs), collaborating with Program Management on realistic, budget-conscious executable plans that will positively impact overall strategy plan.