Systems Design Engineer

Viasat, Inc.•Carlsbad, CA

About The Position

The Systems Design Engineer plays a key role in developing innovative, mission-driven solutions that address the evolving needs of U.S. Air Force customers. In this role, you will work closely with customers, business development teams, program leadership, and engineering organizations to understand operational requirements and translate them into integrated technical solutions that leverage Viasat's broad portfolio of communications, networking, cyber, space, ISR, and mission systems capabilities. As a member of the solutions engineering team, you will support the design, analysis, and development of end-to-end system architectures, helping shape technical strategies for new opportunities and critical mission programs. You will collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to evaluate requirements, assess technical tradeoffs, develop solution concepts, and ensure proposed architectures align with customer objectives and operational needs. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with strong technical expertise, a passion for solving complex challenges, and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge defense and aerospace technologies while contributing to solutions that support some of the Air Force's most important missions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Systems Engineering, or related technical field.
10+ years of experience in defense, aerospace, mission systems, communications, networking, or related technical domains.
Extensive experience supporting United States Air Force operational or acquisition organizations.
Demonstrated experience leading complex technical integration efforts across multiple organizations or business units.
Deep understanding of Air Force mission architectures, operational concepts, and modernization priorities.
Experience with systems engineering, mission architecture development, and technical strategy execution.
Proven ability to engage effectively with senior government and industry leaders.
Active Secret clearance required; Top Secret/SCI preferred.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, Business, or related field.
Operational military experience or direct support to Air Force operational missions.
Experience with: Open systems architecture (MOSA/SOSA)
Tactical communications and networking
Airborne mission systems
SATCOM and resilient networking
ISR and mission integration
Space and multi-domain operations
Digital engineering and MBSE
Experience supporting large-scale strategic captures and mission solution development.
Demonstrated success leading geographically distributed technical teams.

Responsibilities

Lead the Air Force Solutions Engineering organization supporting all five Viasat business areas.
Establish and drive enterprise-wide technical strategy aligned to Air Force operational concepts, modernization priorities, and emerging mission needs.
Develop integrated mission architectures that combine capabilities across communications, networking, cyber, ISR, space, platform integration, mission computing, and digital engineering.
Serve as the senior technical integrator for Air Force mission solutions across the Viasat portfolio.
Lead development of mission-level solution architectures for strategic opportunities, priority captures, and long-range growth initiatives.
Translate Air Force operational concepts, CONOPS, kill chains, and mission requirements into executable technical architectures and differentiated solution approaches.
Ensure solutions align with open systems architectures, MOSA/SOSA principles, digital engineering standards, and future Air Force interoperability requirements.
Drive technical roadmaps supporting Air Force initiatives involving resilient communications, tactical networking, PNT, airborne networking, space integration, autonomy, and distributed operations.
Serve as a senior technical interface with Air Force operational commands, acquisition organizations, laboratories, program offices, and mission partners.
Engage with senior government leaders, engineers, operators, and acquisition personnel to shape requirements and align Viasat capabilities to mission needs.
Represent Viasat in technical interchange meetings, industry forums, architecture discussions, operational working groups, and strategic planning sessions.
Provide mission-informed thought leadership regarding future Air Force operational architectures and decision-dominance concepts.
Coordinate technical strategy and solution alignment across all five Viasat business areas to ensure unified customer engagement and enterprise capability integration.
Identify opportunities for technology convergence, reusable architectures, and integrated mission offerings across the enterprise.
Facilitate collaboration between engineering, product management, business development, capture, and program execution teams.
Drive alignment between internal technology investments and Air Force mission priorities.
Support strategic captures through technical solution development, proposal strategy, architecture reviews, and customer shaping activities.
Lead technical discriminators, competitive positioning, and solution differentiation for major Air Force opportunities.
Provide technical leadership for white papers, RFIs, RFP responses, operational demonstrations, and mission experimentation activities.
Partner with business development leadership to identify and mature long-range growth opportunities.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Air Force Solutions Architects and technical leaders across multiple mission domains.
Build organizational technical depth, mission understanding, and customer credibility within the Air Force solutions engineering team.
Establish engineering rigor, architecture governance, and best practices for solution development across the enterprise.
Foster a collaborative, mission-focused culture emphasizing innovation, technical excellence, and operational relevance.