Staff Mechanical Engineer, Structural

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to projects and programs of significant scope and complexity, applying advanced engineering principles to ensure structural integrity across satellite hardware and systems.
• Perform structural analysis and verification to ensure hardware survives launch, deployment, and operational environments with adequate margin.
• Lead structural analysis efforts for satellite structures, mechanisms, electronics packaging, and deployable systems.
• Perform and direct structural, vibration, dynamic, shock, and environmental analyses to validate flight hardware designs.
• Independently define problems, evaluate trade studies, and develop engineering solutions that balance performance, schedule, cost, and risk.
• Own structural verification from concept development through qualification, production, integration, and on-orbit support.
• Develop engineering requirements, specifications, procedures, and qualification plans related to structural performance.
• Lead hardware structural testing, environmental testing, and anomaly resolution activities.
• Drive Design Reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and provide technical recommendations to program leadership.
• Collaborate closely with systems, thermal, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, reliability, and supply chain teams to ensure successful product execution.
• Evaluate new technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes to improve structural performance and scalability.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior engineers and designers.
• Serve as a recognized subject matter expert in spacecraft structural analysis.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience, including significant experience developing and analyzing spaceflight hardware.
• Demonstrated experience leading structural analysis and subsystem development for spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, or other aerospace systems.
• Strong understanding of structural, dynamic, shock, and environmental requirements for space applications.
• Experience with engineering analysis tools including ANSYS, Nastran, Simcenter, or equivalent.
• Experience designing or interacting with flight hardware using CAD tools such as Creo, SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent.
• Experience with environmental qualification and acceptance testing, including vibration, shock, thermal vacuum, and thermal cycling.
• Ability to independently solve complex technical problems with limited direction.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including presentation of technical analysis data to management and customers.
• Experience working within cross-functional product development teams.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Qualifications