System Design Engineer - Active Secret Clearance Required
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 29, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 27, 2026. Viasat scores A on the Alion truth index.
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’s Government business is poised for significant growth in the coming years, bringing critical connectivity solutions to our war fighters across the battle space! Our solutions serve user groups and market segments across all services as well as within the intelligence and international government communities. As a System Design Engineer, you will be responsible for requirement generation, requirement management, system level architecture definitions, and detailed system design decisions.
The day-to-day
The System Design Engineer role involves collaborating with Product Management, engineering leads, and customers to break down high level product requirements into detailed system and subsystem design solutions. The System Design Engineer must also work with engineering development teams to iterate on the system design solutions over the lifecycle of the product, to ensure we are consistently meeting customer needs in a constantly evolving market. This requires an affinity for thinking about users, use cases, and a technical understanding of the underlying infrastructure (data, backend services, cloud architectures, SATCOM systems, and networking) required to support the product. An innate ability to adapt quickly to changing needs and market environments is also crucial.
What you'll need
- 15+ years of experience in systems engineering design and requirements management, preferably related to data platforms, cloud-based application development, satellite communications or networking
- Bachelors Degree in Engineering or equivalent experience
- Solid understanding of full-stack development frameworks
- Ability to understand and develop system design requirements including those related to performance, security, and functionality
- Work with engineering teams to ensure that system design and architecture meet the customer needs while leaving flexibility for implementation teams to make decisions where appropriate
- Be responsible for the hardware and software product and platform success from early definition through the entire product lifecycle, including through maturity
- Background in working with large systems of systems, and maintaining a consistent set of standards to ensure intersystem compatibility and ease of future scaling
- This is a US Govt role; US Citizenship is required
- Must hold a United States Secret Clearance
- Ability to travel as-needed, up to 10%
What will help you on the job
- Understanding of agile software development processes
- Some understanding of DoW CONOPs, users, and operating environments
- Familiarity with data science, data processing, or AI/ML
- Facilitate discussions with engineering and product management teams on design tradeoffs
- Familiarity with requirements management tools such as Jama
- Familiarity with MBSE design process
- Familiarity with MBSE tools such as Cameo
Salary range
$212,500.00 - $335,500.00 / 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 $264,000.00- $396,000.00/ 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 https://careers.viasat.com/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.
The System Design Engineer role involves collaborating with Product Management, engineering leads, and customers to break down high level product requirements into detailed system and subsystem design solutions. The System Design Engineer must also work with engineering development teams to iterate on the system design solutions over the lifecycle of the product, to ensure we are consistently meeting customer needs in a constantly evolving market. This requires an affinity for thinking about users, use cases, and a technical understanding of the underlying infrastructure (data, backend services, cloud architectures, SATCOM systems, and networking) required to support the product. An innate ability to adapt quickly to changing needs and market environments is also crucial.
- 15+ years of experience in systems engineering design and requirements management, preferably related to data platforms, cloud-based application development, satellite communications or networking
- Bachelors Degree in Engineering or equivalent experience
- Solid understanding of full-stack development frameworks
- Ability to understand and develop system design requirements including those related to performance, security, and functionality
- Work with engineering teams to ensure that system design and architecture meet the customer needs while leaving flexibility for implementation teams to make decisions where appropriate
- Be responsible for the hardware and software product and platform success from early definition through the entire product lifecycle, including through maturity
- Background in working with large systems of systems, and maintaining a consistent set of standards to ensure intersystem compatibility and ease of future scaling
- This is a US Govt role; US Citizenship is required
- Must hold a United States Secret Clearance
- Ability to travel as-needed, up to 10%