Senior Software Engineer, Temporary

Viasat’s System Software team is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Temporary) to help build and operate the Linux foundation behind AlmaLinux-based embedded Mobility Access Servers (MAS). These servers support inflight WiFi and streaming, and the role spans everything from architecture and CI/CD to field-driven debugging using real aircraft deployment data.

This onsite position is based in Carlsbad, CA, with an expected schedule of 3+ days per week (60%+) working from a Viasat office or work location within a standard five-day workweek.

What you’ll do

• Provide software engineering support as part of an agile development team.
• Design and drive software architecture centered on a Linux-based operating system with custom support applications that include REST, hardware interfaces, ARINC controllers, cellular device controllers, and other low-level driver support.
• Participate in the design, development, and testing of the software products the team supports.
• Maintain and improve CI/CD capabilities with a focus on GitHub Actions, Artifactory, Vault, and GitHub.
• Improve testing strategies across virtual environments and bare metal hardware to catch issues before they reach production.
• Debug and investigate production system failures using log analysis tools such as syslog-ng, fluent-bit, and journalctl, informed by field data from live aircraft deployments.
• Manage and maintain ZFS storage pools, including disk health monitoring and storage subsystem reliability.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain containerized services using Docker and k3s on embedded hardware.
• Support security posture improvements, including secret/key rotation, file integrity monitoring, and remediation of penetration test findings.
• Participate in code reviews to deliver quality products for both short-term needs and long-term maintenance.
• Travel up to 10%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience using C/C++/Rust/Go/Bash/Python in embedded environments, with a record of success.
• Hands-on experience with object oriented methodology and development.
• Linux system administration proficiency, including systemd service lifecycle, boot process debugging, and log-based forensics (including journalctl and syslog).
• Experience with container technologies (Docker) and/or container orchestration (Kubernetes/k3s).
• Experience investigating and debugging field incidents and production system failures, including log review, correlating events across services, and driving to root cause.
• Experience delivering software using CI/CD and DevOps practices.
• Familiarity with common tooling such as Git, GitHub, Docker, HashiCorp Vault, and artifact management platforms (e.g., Artifactory).
• Ability to champion modern software practices and uphold software quality standards across development phases.
• Strong analytical skills for evaluating software architecture and design, including existing codebases.
• Ability to perform tests following a requirement-based testing approach.
• Familiarity with AI coding tools such as GitHub Copilot.

Technologies

• AlmaLinux, Linux
• C, C++, Rust, Go, Bash, Python
• REST
• systemd, journalctl, syslog, syslog-ng, fluent-bit
• ZFS
• Docker, k3s, Kubernetes
• Git, GitHub, GitHub Actions, Artifactory, Vault (HashiCorp Vault)
• GitHub Copilot, cgroups, MGLRU

Salary range

$140,500 - $261,000 per year.

• $140,500.00 - $221,500.00 / annually.
• For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area, and the New York City metro area, the base pay range is $174,000.00 - $261,000.00 annually. Compensation may vary based on job scope and your background and experience.
• Base pay may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Additional cash or stock incentives may be available, along with medical, financial, and/or other benefits depending on the position offered.