GX Satellite Resource Engineer

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 Frequency Planning team is responsible for the optimal configuration of the satellite resources for all the Viasat active fleet, this is to ensure an efficient use of our satellite resources while maximising the revenue opportunities. For this purpose the team constantly monitor the performance, traffic demands on the network, and service requirements to make sure that the network KPIs and SLAs are met.

The Viasat Ka-Band satellite system provides a range of services to military and commercial users across the globe operating from small fixed, transportable, and mobile platforms under the brand name of Global Express (GX). A major component of the GX suite of services are Subscriber Service Plans where capacity on Viasat’s global iDirect system is provided to customers through a Value Added Reseller (VAR). Management of the network configuration to ensure adequate resources are provided across the multiplicity of spot beams serviced by the system is a challenging process.

Our Global Express network operates across multiple satellites: GX1 to GX6, in addition to third party capacity. Viasat is in the process of adding two more satellites to this network: GX10A and GX10B with polar coverage. The next generation of Global Express system is also under procurement and will be supported by the GX7, 8 , 9 satellites.

This post is for a full time Engineer to configure, operate and manage the resources on the GX satellite fleet. The role will have access to the Resource Planning Tools, to monitor traffic commitments and demand across the network, perform trending analyses and recommend satellite and network reconfigurations to optimise network performance. The Engineer will also provide feedback to the different Business Units within Viasat on the capability of the system to support additional traffic, both in terms of dedicated leases and Shared Network Services.

The role requires a responsible and well organised individual with a strong understanding of RF and modulation theory and excellent verbal and written communications skills. A background in an operational environment would be useful, as would knowledge of VSAT and mobile satellite communications.

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

• Configure and operate the GX Planning Software Tools to monitor network resource usage and commitments.
• Prepare satellite configurations and frequency planning changes, to ensure that adequate resources are in place to meet projected traffic demand and support the lease and GX services.
• Work with other GX Satellite Resource Engineers and Traffic Resource Analyst to prepare and automate the generation of the traffic reports to monitor the GX traffic demands and the satellite loading on the network.
• Interact with the Business Units to assess the capability of the network to accommodate future traffic requirements and potential sales.
• Coordinate with NOC, RAN Operations, Satellite Control Centre, and Lease Operation teams the execution of the satellite configuration and frequency plan changes affecting the network.

Due to the operational nature of the role, the post will involve out of hours ‘on call’ support.

What you'll need

• An Engineering Degree or equivalent in Mobile Communications/Telematics or in Mobile and Satellite Communications.
• Understanding of VSAT (including iDirect and Gilat) systems.
• A strong analytical background and knowledge of RF.
• A solid understanding of analogue and digital communications, including link budget analysis and transmission plans.
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• A self-starter who can prioritise and manage multiple tasks efficiently and effectively as well as managing those under their control
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels
• Excellent PC skills with good knowledge of MS Office, Server-Client Architectures, Windows/Linux operating systems and familiarity with Database environments.

What will help you on the job

• Master’s Degree in Communications Engineering, preferably Satellite Communications.
• Relevant work experience in mission-critical, real-time operational engineering.
• Experience of satellite communications
• Experience with Google Platform technologies including BigQuery.
• Scripting Language programming experience Python and/or Matlab.

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.