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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Systems Engineer, Digital Payload - **Company:** Viasat, Inc. - **Location:** San Jose, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $180,500.0 - $285,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Systems Engineering, Beamforming, Computer Engineering, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Software Debugging, Digital Technology, Firmware, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Hardware Description Language, Requirements Management, Verification and Validation (Software), SystemVerilog, Verilog, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Low Latency - **Published:** August 27, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/58256b44-ed04-4180-826c-d42b997605dd ## About the Role Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent experience. 8+ years of relevant experience in systems engineering, digital payload development, FPGA or ASIC based systems, aerospace, space, or mission-critical systems. Demonstrated ability to independently define ambiguous technical problems, select appropriate methods, and drive resolution across teams. Proven experience owning payload or system-level technical budgets for performance, latency, throughput, power, timing, resources, margin, and risk. Deep experience with requirements development, decomposition, allocation, traceability, and verification closure. Strong understanding of full lifecycle systems engineering from concept definition through integration, verification, and operational readiness. Significant FPGA and ASIC architecture or implementation experience. Strong technical foundation in DSP, communication systems, high-speed digital interfaces, and payload data path architecture. Proficiency with VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, or equivalent hardware description languages. Deep understanding of SERDES, transceivers, clocking architectures, synchronization, timing closure, high-speed link bring-up, and lab debugging. Ability to influence technical outcomes across multidisciplinary teams without direct authority. Strong communication skills for senior-level design reviews, risk discussions, and technical decision forums. Experience mentoring engineers and improving technical practices across a team or organization., Experience with satellite payload architectures, digital transparent processors, regenerative payloads, or onboard processing systems. Familiarity with beamforming, channelizers, modem architectures, waveform processing, packet processing, or high-throughput satellite systems. Familiarity with DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, DVB-RCS, 3GPP, or related communications standards. Experience with MBSE, requirements management tools, architectural modeling, or digital engineering environments. Background in high-reliability, radiation-tolerant, mission-critical, or space-qualified systems. Ability to balance technical rigor with cost, schedule, risk, reuse, manufacturability, and verification constraints. Track record of contributing to technical strategy, roadmap development, design standards, or reusable architectures. ## Description We are seeking an experienced Digital Payload Systems Engineer to provide technical leadership for complex digital space systems. This role owns end-to-end digital payload architecture, system performance, requirements, technical budgets, verification strategy, and long-term payload evolution. The successful candidate will serve as a senior technical authority across FPGA and ASIC based digital systems, independently defining complex problems, driving architecture decisions, coordinating cross-functional execution, and mentoring other engineers. This role requires deep subject matter expertise, strong systems judgment, and the ability to influence technical outcomes across programs without direct authority. This is a site-based role, employees work 3+ days (60%+) per week from a Viasat office or work location within a standard five-day workweek. The day-to-day Own end-to-end digital payload system performance, architecture, requirements, and verification strategy. Lead architecture definition and trade studies for FPGA, ASIC, DSP, high-speed I/O, clocking, and payload processing systems. Define and resolve complex system-level problems across hardware, firmware, software, RF, integration, and test teams. Drive design decisions for beamforming, channelization, regenerative payloads, and standards-based implementations including DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, DVB-RCS, and 3GPP. Own technical budgets, margin posture, assumptions, risks, and analytical models supporting program decisions. Develop and maintain key technical artifacts, including SRDs, TRDs, interface specifications, trade studies, and verification plans. Lead requirements decomposition, allocation, traceability, and burndown across subsystem teams. Support major lifecycle reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, test readiness, and operational readiness reviews. Define system-level verification and validation strategies with integration and test teams. Provide technical leadership on interfaces, timing, throughput, resource utilization, high-speed data movement, and payload processing behavior. Communicate technical recommendations, risks, and tradeoffs to engineering and program leadership. Mentor engineers and help improve systems engineering practices, standards, and digital payload development processes. ## Related Videos - [Playing Pong on a shoulder press machine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100140-playing-pong-on-a-shoulder-press-machine) - [Unlocking the potential of Digital & IT at Vodafone](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/602-unlocking-the-potential-of-digital-it-at-vodafone) - [Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) - [Agent Smith Gets Hardware: Autonomous IoT Hacking From Debug Port to Cloud API](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100258-agent-smith-gets-hardware-autonomous-iot-hacking-from-debug-port-to-cloud-api) - [Migrating half a million users to a new payment service provider](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/730-migrating-half-a-million-users-to-a-new-payment-service-provider) - [When Agents Meet Legacy: Never Change a Running System](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100320-when-agents-meet-legacy-never-change-a-running-system) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [Software Engineer Career: Things You Should Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/143-software-engineer-career-things-you-should-know) - [The 12 Best Jobs for Software Engineers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/401-the-12-best-jobs-for-software-engineers) - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering)