Software Engineer, Early Career

About us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we're on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We're looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

What you'll do

As a Software Engineer at Viasat, you will be at the forefront of a new era of software development. You won't just be writing code; you will be "teaching" and guiding AI models to transform existing codebases. This role focuses on utilizing Claude (Anthropic) to analyze, refactor, and document legacy code, ensuring our systems are scalable, efficient, and maintainable.

The day-to-day

• AI-Driven Refactoring: Use Claude to identify patterns in legacy codebases and generate refactored versions that adhere to modern design patterns and clean code principles.
• Prompt Engineering: Develop and refine sophisticated prompts to ensure the AI generates high-quality, secure, and context-aware code improvements.
• Validation & Testing: Implement a "Human-in-the-Loop" workflow by rigorously reviewing AI-generated code and writing comprehensive unit tests to ensure functional parity between old and new systems.
• Documentation: Utilize LLMs to automatically generate technical documentation, API schemas, and architectural diagrams from existing source code.
• Performance Optimization: Identify bottlenecks in current software and work with Claude to suggest and implement algorithmic improvements.
• Collaboration: Work closely with senior architects to ensure that AI-refactored code aligns with the long-term technical roadmap.

Additional Information:

• This position is located onsite. Viasat embraces a flexible work environment and onsite/hybrid work is determined by individual roles and teams. Relocation assistance is available pending eligibility.
• As an Early Career hire, you will participate in our Graduate Development Program during your first 12+ months at Viasat. This program is designed to support your transition from university to the workplace through dedicated mentorship, building relationships with your cohort of new grad hires, technical upskilling, soft skills development and more to ensure you're set up for success as you begin your professional journey with Viasat
• Viasat offers the following pre-determined start date options for incoming US Early Career hires (limited exceptions available)
  
  • Monday, July 13, 2026
  • Monday, August 3, 2026
  • Monday, September 7, 2026

What you'll need

• Education: Completion of a Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience: 0-3 years of relevant professional experience
• Foundational Coding: Proficiency in at least one major language (e.g., Python, Java, C++, or Go) and a solid understanding of data structures and algorithms.
• Analytical Mindset: An ability to read and understand complex, "spaghetti" code and visualize how it should be restructured.
• AI Curiosity: Familiarity with Large Language Models (LLMs) and an interest in how generative AI is changing the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Quality Focus: A strong belief in "Shift-Left" testing and the importance of catching defects early through automated testing.

What will help you on the job

• Experience with Prompt Engineering or fine-tuning LLMs for technical tasks.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and how to integrate AI tools into automated workflows.
• Contributions to open-source projects or a portfolio demonstrating refactoring projects.
• Knowledge of DevOps principles and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).

Salary range

$95,000.00 - $150,000.00 / annually.For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $118,000.00- $177,000.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat's comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at careers.viasat.com/LifeAtViasat/Benefits.
EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.