Hardware Engineering Lead - Communication & Sensing Systems

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 Hardware Engineering Product Team (IPT) Lead coordinating efforts within the Viasat Government Space and New Technologies group, you will lead engineers across specialties. You will oversee the hardware development lifecycle, starting with requirements definition and continuing through production, fielding, and sustainment of a sophisticated communication and sensing system.

The day-to-day

As a working leader, you will guide a multidisciplinary team of Digital Hardware, Programmable Logic (PL), Radio Frequency (RF), and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Engineers while also contributing directly to the technical execution of the program. You will support related central initiatives as well.
You will:
Lead efforts in circuitry, reconfigurable logic devices, and development of software coordinated within hardware involving internal groups and external subcontractors.
Lead "make/buy" evaluations and system-level architectural decisions, including DSP strategy, FPGA partitioning, and HW/SW interface definitions.
Serve as the technical hardware lead for customer engagements, proposal development, and the generation of Basis of Estimates (BOEs).
Act as the primary technical focal point for subcontracted hardware, providing rigorous review and challenge of builds, analyses, and work to ensure compliance.
Define and manage complex HW/PL/SW interfaces and verification strategies to ensure robust system integration and performance.
Deliver high-quality technical briefings and lead successful execution of major build reviews (PDR, CDR) and internal achievement reviews.
Establish and enforce alignment with sound engineering processes, build standards, and configuration management (CM) controls.
Partner with program leadership to drive schedule accuracy and resource planning activities.
Coordinate with Supply Chain and New Product Introduction (NPI) teams to manage hardware builds and production transitions.
Collaborate with Test Leads to define comprehensive test requirements and identify Special Test Equipment (STE) needs.

What you'll need
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in Electrical Engineering or an associated technical domain
15+ years of experience in hardware engineering or technical leadership for complex communications, RF, space, or sensing systems
A track history of successfully transitioning new hardware designs to production.
Demonstrated experience leading multi field engineering teams across hardware, firmware, DSP, and embedded software
Proven communication skills (both verbal and written) with experience delivering technical briefs and guiding design reviews
US Government position. ship required
Active DoD Top Secret Clearance (with SCI eligibility)
Ability to travel up to 10%

This role is onsite in Carlsbad, CA

#LI-BBS

What will help you on the job
Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical area, with equivalent experience accepted
Active DoD TS/SCI Clearance with SAP
Experience collaborating effectively with distributed teams across time zones, functions, cultures, and fields
Proven experience with integration of hardware, firmware, and software on platforms such as FPGAs, processors, or embedded architectures
Experience integrating subcontracted hardware into larger system architectures
Strong ability in solving, debugging, and root cause analysis across HW/SW boundaries
Familiarity with RF systems, waveform design principles, calibration strategies, or sensing system performance metrics
Demonstrating dedicated customer focus, a passion for excellence, and a one-team approach

Salary range

$198,500.00 - $314,000.00 / 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 $247,000.00- $370,000.00/ 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
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.