Staff Engineer - Terminal Software

About us

At Viasat, the work you do helps people stay connected in ways that matter, from everyday moments to critical missions across air, land, sea, and space.

We’re a place for people who are curious, bold, and motivated by meaningful work. Here, you'll have the opportunity to make an impact, explore new possibilities, and grow your career in ways that align with your interests and goals. When you're ready to take on something new, you'll find leaders who support your development and help you turn your ambition into action.

What you'll do

The Viasat Access Edge Terminal Software team develops the embedded software that powers satellite communication terminals deployed across aviation, maritime, residential, mobility, and emerging connectivity markets. Our platforms enable reliable, high-performance communications in some of the most demanding environments around the globe.

We are seeking a Staff Engineer - Terminal Software to provide technical leadership across our embedded software portfolio. In this role, you will influence software architecture, engineering practices, and long-term technology strategy while partnering with multiple development teams to deliver high-quality, scalable, and maintainable software solutions.

This position is ideal for a highly experienced, hands-on technical leader who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges, mentoring engineers, and driving architectural direction across a broad ecosystem of embedded software products. You will play a key role in shaping both the technical vision and execution strategy for software powering Viasat's next generation of connectivity solutions.

The day-to-day

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Drive software architecture and technical direction across multiple embedded software teams and product lines.
• Define and evolve shared platform capabilities, frameworks, and reusable software components.
• Lead architectural reviews and provide guidance on complex technical decisions.
• Influence long-term technology strategy, platform evolution, and software modernization initiatives.
• Partner with engineering leadership to identify and prioritize strategic technical investments.

Software Development & Delivery

• Lead the design, development, testing, and delivery of embedded software for satellite terminal products.
• Contribute hands-on to software development efforts, focusing on high-impact technical challenges.
• Champion engineering excellence through code reviews, design reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure software solutions are scalable, maintainable, secure, and aligned with product requirements.
• Drive adoption of modern software development methodologies, tools, and practices.

Engineering Excellence & Mentorship

• Establish and promote best practices for software architecture, design, implementation, testing, and deployment.
• Mentor engineers through technical coaching, code reviews, architecture discussions, and formal knowledge-sharing opportunities.
• Help teams improve software quality, development velocity, and operational efficiency.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor across engineering teams and stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with systems, hardware, product, and program teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Work across organizational boundaries to align technical priorities and resolve complex challenges.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation.
• Support planning, estimation, risk assessment, and execution of key technical initiatives.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate as a key contributor within Agile development teams.
• Travel up to 10% as needed.

What you'll need

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Hands-on software design and development experience using C, C++, and/or Rust in embedded environments.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering complex software products and technical leadership across multiple projects or teams.
• Extensive experience with Linux-based embedded systems.
• Strong expertise in software architecture, design patterns, and large-scale system design.
• Proven experience evaluating and improving existing software architectures and codebases.
• Experience developing and delivering software using CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Ability to influence technical direction and drive adoption of engineering best practices across teams.

Technical Expertise

• Strong proficiency in object-oriented design and software development methodologies.
• Experience with Linux networking stacks, kernel internals, and device driver development.
• Deep understanding of software quality practices, automated testing, and development automation.
• Experience designing scalable and maintainable software platforms for embedded systems.
• Familiarity with modern development workflows, tooling, and Agile methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex technical challenges.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Proven ability to mentor and develop engineers across a range of experience levels.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience leading technical initiatives through collaboration rather than direct management authority.
• Strong ability to balance short-term delivery goals with long-term architectural strategy.

What will help you on the job

• Ability to influence the technical direction of software powering globally deployed satellite communication systems.
• Experience solving challenging problems at the intersection of embedded software, networking, wireless communications, and connectivity.
• Shaping engineering practices and architectural decisions across multiple teams and product lines.
• Partnering with highly skilled engineers working on innovative technologies and mission-critical products.
• Maintaining a balance of strategic technical leadership and hands-on engineering impact.

As a Staff Engineer, you'll help define the technical vision for Viasat's terminal software platforms while mentoring teams and driving engineering excellence across the organization. If you're passionate about embedded systems, software architecture, and leading through technical influence, we'd love to hear from you. Join Viasat and help build the software platforms that enable connectivity anywhere in the world. US Citizenship or Permanent Resident status required.

Salary range

$165,000.00 - $260,500.00 / 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 $205,000.00- $307,000.00/ 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.