Associate Mechanical Engineer, Early Career

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.

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.

Viasat is seeking a motivated Associate Mechanical Engineer to join our growing space infrastructure team. In this role, you will assist in the design, development, qualification, and production transition of mechanical systems and hardware for next-generation satellite platforms. You will work under the guidance of senior team members across the full product lifecycle, supporting innovative solutions for challenging spaceflight applications while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and program management.

The ideal candidate combines foundational technical knowledge in spacecraft mechanical design with an eagerness to learn, solve problems, and collaborate effectively with fellow engineers.

In this role, you will apply basic engineering principles to assist in developing reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective spacecraft hardware and systems. You will:

• Support and assist with mechanical design and development efforts for satellite structures, mechanisms, electronics packaging, and deployable systems.
• Help evaluate trade studies and support engineering solutions that balance performance, schedule, cost, and risk.
• Support mechanical subsystem design tasks from initial concepts through qualification, production, integration, and on-orbit support.
• Learn to perform entry-level structural, thermal, vibration, shock, and environmental analyses to assist in validating flight hardware designs.
• Draft and update engineering requirements, specifications, drawings, procedures, and test plans under supervision.
• Participate in hardware development, integration, testing, and troubleshooting activities.
• Attend Design Reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and help prepare technical data presentations.
• Work collaboratively with systems, thermal, electrical, manufacturing, reliability, and supply chain teams on product execution tasks.
• Learn about new technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes to support product capability improvements.

Additional Details

• This position is site-based. Site based employees work 3+ days (60%+) per week from a Viasat office or work location within a standard five day work week. Viasat embraces a flexible work environment and onsite/hybrid work is determined by individual roles and teams. Relocation assistance is available pending eligibility.

• Education:
  
  Completion of Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience:
  
  This role is intended for someone with 0-3 years of full-time, relevant industry experience.
• Citizenship:
  This position requires U.S. Citizenship.
• Additional:
  • Demonstrated interest in generative AI and AI-assisted software development through coursework, projects, or research. Experience using Claude or similar AI development tools is a plus.
  • Basic understanding of mechanical systems and exposure to aerospace or spaceflight concepts.
  • Educational or internship experience with mechanical subsystem design for spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, or related systems.
  • Foundational understanding of structural, thermal, dynamic, and environmental requirements for space applications.
  • Familiarity with designing hardware using CAD tools such as Creo, Solid Works, NX, or equivalent.
  • Basic familiarity with engineering analysis tools such as ANSYS, Nastran, Simcenter, Thermal Desktop, or equivalent coursework.
  • Exposure to environmental qualification and acceptance testing processes, including vibration, shock, thermal vacuum, and thermal cycling.
  • Ability to solve technical…