Senior Signal Processing Engineer

Viasat, Inc. • Carlsbad, CA

13h • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Engineer who can operate as a Principal Investigator for a fast-paced digital signal processing sensing-centric development program! This role requires deep system-level expertise across high-fidelity simulation development and analysis for sensors, with knowledge of signal acquisition, embedded processing, software, hardware, integration, and test, paired with strong technical leadership and cross-team coordination. You will serve as the technical authority for mixed-fidelity simulation development and analysis for sensing systems, driving end-to-end simulation architecture for our sensing elements through data processing and system-level performance. This role is hands-on and you will need to interface with customers while developing advanced simulation frameworks.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, or closely related field (MSEE or Ph.D. preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in modeling and simulation of sensing or signal processing systems, with demonstrated ownership of simulation frameworks on program development efforts
• Proficiency in simulation and analysis tools including MATLAB/Simulink, Python (NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch), or equivalent; experience structuring large-scale, maintainable simulation codebases
• Prior experience as a principal investigator or technical lead on a U.S. government or defense program, including direct customer interaction at technical interchanges and program reviews
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret / SCI security clearance
• Able to travel up to 10%
• Must be able to work out of the Carlsbad, CA office

Nice To Haves

• Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline with a focus on signal processing, sensing systems, or applied electromagnetics
• Active TS/SCI security clearance
• Hands-on experience with multi-domain sensors (RF, EO/IR, acoustic, or lidar), including familiarity with phenomenological modeling approaches specific to those domains
• Experience with Operational Analysis tools such as AFSIM
• Background in embedded or real-time DSP implementations on FPGA or embedded CPU platforms, enabling high-fidelity simulation-to-hardware translation
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop simulation integrated with bench or field test infrastructure
• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) methodologies and system-level performance budgeting and error allocation
• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publication, patent authorship, or equivalent technical contribution in sensing, signal processing, or simulation

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and validation of mixed-fidelity simulation frameworks spanning sensor phenomenology, signal acquisition, processing pipelines, and system-level performance
• Define simulation architecture strategies for next-generation sensing system designs, including sensor element selection, processing chain topology, and hardware/software partitioning
• Develop physics-based models of sensing elements, noise sources, and interference conditions relevant to the program domain
• Author simulation validation plans and establish correlation between simulation outputs and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), bench, and field test results
• Maintain modular, version-controlled simulation repositories, enabling continuous improvement in model coverage and fidelity
• Develop and apply signal processing algorithms including detection, estimation, filtering, spectral analysis, and statistical performance characterization across relevant sensing domains
• Model signal chains from sensor to output, including noise, interference, and environmental effects that drive system performance margins
• Define and evaluate signal processing performance metrics and translate them into actionable guidance for hardware and embedded software teams
• Validate signal processing models against measured data, identifying and closing fidelity gaps through iterative refinement
• Serve as the principal investigator and technical lead for the simulation workstream, setting direction and ensuring alignment across algorithm, embedded software, hardware, and systems engineering teams
• Lead technical reviews including PDR, CDR, and similar program reviews; deliver simulation products and provide peer review of modeling efforts across the team
• Identify simulation capability gaps relative to program objectives and develop and execute roadmap improvements
• Mentor junior engineers in simulation methodology, signal processing fundamentals, and analysis best practices
• Serve as the primary technical interface to customers on simulation methodology, modeling assumptions, uncertainty quantification, and system performance predictions
• Translate complex simulation results into concise findings and technical reports suitable for program leadership and customer review
• Support proposal efforts by defining simulation scope, articulating technical discriminators, and contributing to statement of work and basis-of-estimate documentation

Benefits

• range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered
• comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior