RF Antenna and Payload Systems Engineer

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

Viasat requires a self-motivated professional to participate in the evaluation, analysis, specification, design, manufacturing, testing and in-orbit delivery of advanced payloads for satellite communications. Based at our London office, the successful candidate will be part of the Space Segment team and work closely with the resident teams (Field Offices – closely following on-going spacecrafts programs), satellite manufacturers and antenna suppliers located around the world.

This is a key role in ensuring the successful in orbit delivery of Viasat's future satellites. The purpose of the role is to support the development of the company’s next generation of satellites and follow-up contracts with the satellite manufacturers with a major focus on antenna systems. The position will involve recommendation, monitoring, reporting, and ensuring high quality standards on the development of satellite antenna subsystems, and related hardware and software. The incumbent will also participate in In-orbit test campaigns to ensure the satisfactory validation of new payload deliveries.

As part of the Space Segment engineering team, this role also comprises the generation of specifications and the delivery of analysis and trade-offs assessments of payloads and antenna subsystems and associated mission capabilities. The understanding of the space segment capabilities with an emphasis on payloads architecture drivers is the base for developing the future technology that will provide Viasat unique competitive advantage.

The Antenna and Payload system engineer will be encouraged work with contractors’ staff and achieve success in situations via coherent discussion and persuasion for situations where a contractual mandate is not in place. Also, inter-divisional collaboration with other Viasat departments (as ground segment and end-to-end system engineering) will be part of this role, contributing to the overall optimisation of our cutting-edge worldwide connectivity solutions and ensuring tight congruity between the ground segment considerations and the inclusion of the new technologies in the space segment infrastructure.

Viasat is looking for people who thrive in a diverse and challenging work environment, who are receptive to change and who wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity to take responsibility for themselves and the company’s ongoing success.

Note that the position will require occasional travel or work outside normal business hours due to the global environment Viasat operates in.

The day-to-day

• Support Viasat resident teams in monitoring the development, manufacturing, and test of all antenna systems, and attend relevant meetings and reviews with both Viasat internal and external stakeholders
• Identification, monitoring, and reporting of critical areas throughout the design, construction and test phases of the satellites’ antenna modules and safeguard Viasat interests in case of technical or programmatic issues arising during each phase of the antenna product lifecycle (including in orbit test campaigns)
• Manage contractor for timely resolution on antenna subsystem technical problems
• Provide payload and system-level design recommendations to support mission requirements definition and capacity planning decisions.
• Generate payload specifications, perform analysis and trade-offs, and technologies scouting to ensure the optimum design of Viasat future telecommunication systems
• Contribute to end-to-end systems design: link analysis, system capacity, payload architectures and performances and antenna technologies trade studies

What you'll Need

• University degree or equivalent in Engineering
• Experience in satellite antenna design, manufacture, and test from equipment level through to spacecraft level with particular emphasis on large offset reflectors fed by a phased array feed, shaped offset reflectors, horns, and direct radiated arrays. Ability to discuss, assess and contribute to the mechanical and thermal aspects, quality and anomaly processes
• Experience in communications payload design and related requirements drivers for LEO, MEO and GEO payloads, both environmentally (design, production and acceptance) and operationally (CONOPs)
• Good knowledge on mobile oriented communications payload technology and related operations: flexible payloads supporting dynamic bandwidth and power allocation in multi-spot architectures
• Good knowledge of all technologies associated with communications payloads, including LNAs, TWTA’s, SSPA’s, filters, frequency generators, converters, Digital Payload processors, active antennas and MPAs
• Good knowledge of beam forming. This will include system level appreciation of digital beamforming and the ability to generate new beams in an existing system
• Ability to undertake analysis and verification of supplier data and performance data (e.g. coverage, G/T, EIRP, linearity etc)
• Prevention by design, analysis and test of passive intermodulation and multipactor
• Good knowledge of RF test range capabilities and limitations.
• Leading edge skills using relevant software tools including the ability to develop new tools and also to be able to take over and further develop existing software tools to support antenna performance analysis and in orbit validation
• Technical background in satellite communication and end to end system performance: modulation and coding, link budgets, communication protocols
• Excellent writing/verbal communication and reporting skills
• Demonstrable capability to successfully deliver quality and on-time work

What Will Help You On The Job

• Knowledge of Inmarsat and Viasat satellites and the wider satcom mobility market
• Good knowledge and understanding of satellite design, assembly integration & test
• Good knowledge of in-band TTC and encryption
• Multi-cultural awareness; experience of working in, and with, a wide variety of cultures in a global environment. Ability to work with globally scattered cross functional teams
• Ability to present complex contexts in a simple way and raise action points with clarity
• Develop and evaluate end-to-end system concepts and analytical tools aligned with commercial requirements and propose innovative solutions optimizing business metrics
• Support system CONOPs definition and implementation
• Support the London based operational team as required
• Be on-call for the In Orbit fleet

You must be eligible to work in this location advertised.

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, colour, 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.