Senior Field Operations Manager

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.

What you'll do

Viasat is seeking a highly motivated and innovative Senior Field Operations Manager for the Duluth Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Business Area (BA). The ISR BA delivers complex turnkey satellite ground stations to US Government (USG) end users, leveraging cutting edge technologies in antennas, modems, encryption, cybersecurity, and related areas.

The day-to-day

In this position you will be responsible for leading and optimizing cross-functional teams in support of satellite ground systems sustainment contracts for government and commercial customers. This role leads a geographically distributed group of engineers and support staff, ensuring high availability and performance of critical systems. The position emphasizes process involvement, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction across long-term sustainment programs.

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, technicians, and support personnel supporting satellite ground systems at customer sites
• Ensure staffing levels, skills, and certifications align with contract requirements and mission needs
• Establish clear performance expectations and conduct regular team performance reviews and development planning
• Serve as the primary operational interface to government customers for system sustainment and field support activities
• Ensure compliance with contractual service level agreements (SLAs), performance metrics, and renewals
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across field operations, including maintenance procedures, incident response, logistics, subcontractor management, and reporting
• Standardize field processes and documentation to improve efficiency, reliability, and knowledge transfer
• Implement best practices to reduce downtime, improve mean time to repair (MTTR) and enhance system availability
• Oversee scheduling, prioritization, and execution of field activities including sustainment, preventative maintenance, upgrades, and issue resolution
• Coordinate with engineering, logistics, cybersecurity, and program teams to resolve complex technical and operational challenges
• Ensure effective configuration control and documentation of fielded systems
• Ensure adherence to government regulations, security requirements, and site-specific access protocols
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with company and safety standards
• Support audits, inspections, and customer reviews related to field operations and sustainment performance

What you'll need

• 10+years of experience in field operations, sustainment support, or technical services for complex systems
• 5+years of experience managing field engineering or technical support teams
• Demonstrated experience supporting government customers, preferably in aerospace, defense, satellite, or ground systems in classified environments
• Strong understanding of sustainment operations, maintenance concepts, and lifecycle support
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management or related technical field, or equivalent experience
• US Government position. US Citizenship required
• Current DoD TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain
• Ability to travel up to 20%

What will help you on the job

• Experience supporting satellite ground systems, mission control systems, or RF/communications infrastructure
• Active TS/SCI
• Familiarity with Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies
• Experience working under government contracts (e.g. DoD, civil agencies)
• Strong leadership and team-building skills
• Customer-focused mindset with strong communication and stakeholder management abilities
• Analytical and process-oriented problem solver
• Ability to operate effectively in mission-critical, high-reliability environments
• Comfortable balancing day-to-day operational execution with long-term improvement initiatives

Salary range

$141,500.00 - $224,000.00 / 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 $176,000.00- $264,000.00/ 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.