Sr Manager, Systems Engineering

Viasat, Inc. • Carlsbad, CA

7d

About The Position

The Integrated Solutions Business Unit is hiring a Lead Systems Engineer to serve as the technical center of gravity for our Tactical Mission Fabric (TMF) program. This is a hands-on systems engineering leadership role, not a pure management seat and not a requirements-analysis-only role. You will personally lead the integration of cloud, network, security, and cryptographic subsystems into a unified, accredited platform; author the IaC that deploys it; and own integration outcomes end to end while setting the technical bar for the engineers around you. We're looking for a senior engineer ready for a formal leadership step: someone who has already led through technical influence and cross-functional ownership, and who is ready to formally lead a team for the first time, or who has begun leading and wants broader scope.

Requirements

• Hands-on Terraform module authoring with disciplined GitOps practice at production scale
• AWS hands-on experience: VPC, IAM, security groups, EC2, S3, and multi-account patterns
• Deep IP networking expertise: TCP/IP, BGP (including EVPN), OSPF, IPsec, and SD-WAN overlay design
• Hands-on V-Model lifecycle experience on government contract deliverables (SRR, PDR, CDR)
• Demonstrated leadership impact as an individual contributor: standing up a technical capability, mentoring engineers, leading a technical workstream, or sustained cross-functional technical leadership
• Readiness to step into a formal leadership billet with a path to direct people management
• 8+ years systems engineering or systems integration in defense, federal, SATCOM, or telecom environments
• Bachelor's in EE, CS, Telecom, or related technical field
• US Citizenship required
• Active DoD Secret clearance required.
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Nice To Haves

• AWS multi-account architecture at scale: Organizations, SCPs, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, PrivateLink, landing zone design
• Hands-on SD-WAN configuration (Cisco Viptela, Juniper SSR, Viasat NetAgility, or equivalent)
• AWS GovCloud-specific experience
• Ansible / AWX playbook development
• GitLab CI/CD pipeline ownership
• Theoretical and operational understanding of network technologies to include dynamic routing protocols, VXLAN, MACsec, MPLS, IPsec/tunneling, and other common L2/L3 protocols
• Network Architecture and Design familiarity using Cisco, Junos, and Palo Alto
• MBSE tooling (Cameo/MagicDraw, Enterprise Architect, DOORS)
• FedRAMP Moderate, NIST 800-53 Rev 5, 800-171
• DoD 8140/8570 IASAE Level II (CISSP or CASP+), or able to obtain within 6 months
• Prior formal people management or technical lead experience
• Active DoD Secret clearance currently held
• Direct experience with US Government and DoD customers (USAF, USMC, Army, or Special Operations)
• DevSecOps experience in a defense acquisition environment
• OpenSearch or other SIEM rule development
• Identity stack: AWS Managed AD, NPS/RADIUS, SAML/OIDC, PrivacyIDEA or equivalent MFA
• STIG and CIS hardening hands-on
• AWS WorkSpaces in STIG-hardened configurations
• Type 1 encryption and HAIPE device integration
• TS/SCI clearance currently held
• SATCOM systems integration
• Edge cloud / forward compute architecture

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Platform Integration: Integrate AWS GovCloud multi-account infrastructure, SD-WAN overlay, MPLS underlay, NGFW boundary security, and cryptographic solutions into a single accredited I/NaaS. Own the seams between subsystems.
• IaC-First Engineering: Author Terraform modules and Ansible AWX playbooks for all TMF deployments. Every change goes through GitLab CI/CD with peer review.
• AWS Architecture at Scale: Design and operate multi-account architectures including Organizations, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect Gateway, PrivateLink, and VPC topologies supporting multi-tenant isolation.
• SD-WAN and Network Integration: Own design and integration of the SD-WAN overlay, BGP routing (including EVPN/VXLAN), IPsec tunnel engineering, and enterprise firewall HA pairs at every ingress and egress zone.
• Requirements, Architecture, V&V: Run the V-Model lifecycle on TMF deliverables (SRR, PDR, CDR), maintain the RTM, define subsystem interfaces, and execute verification and validation against mission needs.
• Security and Compliance Engineering: Map configurations to NIST 800-53 Rev 5 and 800-171, engineer telemetry into the SIEM, apply STIG and CIS hardening, and produce SSP artifacts that hold up to FedRAMP and CMMC Level 2 scrutiny.
• Integration Risk Management: Identify cross-domain failure points early, develop mitigation plans, and make trade-off calls visible to engineering and program leadership.
• Set and enforce standards for SE deliverables, integration quality, and IaC discipline across the TMF team and the broader Integrated Solutions portfolio.
• Mentor systems engineers across experience levels; run technical and code reviews that raise the team's bar.
• Translate between network engineering, cloud engineering, security, program management, and customer stakeholders.
• Own SE and platform outcomes across multiple tenants and programs, not only the ones you personally execute.
• Grow into formal team leadership: partner with the Director on direction, hiring, and resource allocation, with a clear path to direct people management.

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