Senior AI&T Engineer - Phased Array Test

Viasat, Inc.•Tempe, AZ

About The Position

Viasat’s Space Infrastructure Team designs, builds, and operates satellites that deliver global connectivity in demanding environments. Your work within the integration and test team will directly impact payload performance, schedule, and on‑orbit mission success. This role is for a Senior AI&T (Assembly Integration and Test) Engineer focusing on Array RF Testing. In this role, you will lead RF test development and validation for advanced space based phased array communications payloads. You will be responsible for defining how array performance is characterized, verified, and productionized across engineering and flight builds. This role sits at the intersection of RF design, systems engineering, and test, with primary responsibility for validating phased array performance. You will design and deploy scalable RF test solutions capable of measuring full-array and subarray performance, translating system requirements into repeatable validation strategies. This includes driving verification of key antenna metrics such as radiation patterns, EIRP, G/T, SNR, EVM, ACLR, beam steering accuracy, and calibration stability. You will work closely with the product design teams, located in both Europe and the US, to interpret module requirements and turn them into corresponding test plans and test equipment requirements. You will work closely with systems engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure array performance meets specification across temperature, environmental stress, and production variation.

Requirements

8+ years experience in RF test and validation
Experience with space-based or high-reliability phased array systems (satellite, radar, or equivalent)
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience
Deep understanding of antenna arrays, beamforming concepts, and RF signal chains
Strong experience with RF test equipment including spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector signal generators, and network analyzers.
Strong experience with over-the-air testing (near field and far field)
Demonstrated experience architecting automated RF test systems
Experience troubleshooting complex RF systems and driving root cause to resolution
U.S. citizenship required
Ability to travel up to 10%

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated end‑to‑end ownership of complex test systems, from concept through deployment, with clear accountability for outcomes
Experience with active electronically steered arrays and digital beamforming architectures
Background in over-the-air (OTA) test methodologies and compact range or near-field measurement systems
Familiarity with calibration strategies for large scale arrays
Experience supporting environmental qualification testing of spaceflight RF hardware
Experience transitioning RF test solutions from engineering development to production environments
Ability to operate effectively in cross-functional, schedule-driven programs

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain RF test architectures for active phased array systems
Define validation strategies for beamforming, calibration, and performance at unit and integrated‑payload levels
Design and implement test solutions for radiation pattern measurement, conducted RF validation, and over‑the‑air characterization
Develop automation software in Python or similar languages to control units under test, instrumentation, and data systems
Analyze RF data to assess gain, linearity, noise performance, phase coherence, and beam steering accuracy
Drive root‑cause analysis of RF performance issues and provide design feedback to improve yield and robustness
Support environmental and qualification testing from an RF performance standpoint
Operate as a hands‑on engineer, moving between architecture discussion, detailed RF debug, and data-driven performance analysis
Interface with mechanical, digital, firmware, and manufacturing teams to ensure test coverage supports production scalability
Present performance results and technical trade studies to engineering leadership