Senior SATCOM Systems Engineer

KBR•Escondido, CA

22d•$140,000 - $155,000

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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.