What’s it like to work at the in-flight software branch of Viasat? We visited its office in Dublin to learn more.
Global comms company Viasat has a team in Ireland of around 100 people, developing in-flight experience products for the commercial aviation sector.
On a recent visit to its Dublin office, Viasat Ireland’s managing director, Dave Elliott, gave us insights into the areas his team is working on at the moment.
“Here in Dublin, we work with the biggest airlines, and the products and services that we build are used by millions of passengers and crew,” he said.
“Whether that is enabling people to watch a movie, livestream sports, livestream a conference or video-conference their kids as they’re going to sleep, the experiences that we build are changing the in-flight experience for millions of people.”
To make those ambitions a reality, Viasat has “invested significantly” in Dublin, Elliott said, describing the city as a software hub and a “big player in the global aviation industry”.
He highlighted how the “massive talent pool” in Dublin has helped that development, but emphasised that his team is “always looking” for designers and engineers.
Flexibility, pace and passion
To learn more about Viasat’s search for new staff, we also spoke to the company’s head of talent acquisition for EMEA, Claire Gannon.
She explained that the company is seeking candidates who align with its core values. “We’re definitely not a nine-to-five company, so we certainly look for people who are flexible. And that works both ways, so we’re very flexible as an organisation.
“I think tech is very fast moving and we need people who are adaptable so that they can pivot and change direction at pace. And then we like to see that this is people’s passion, it’s not just a job.”
Finally, we chatted to one of the company’s software engineers, Zdenko Csaprda. When he first started at Viasat’s Dublin office, he was “immediately struck” by the “friendliness of co-workers and people in general”.
Csaprda told us more about what it’s like to work at Viasat Ireland, including leisure activities from ping pong and air hockey to music practice.
“It’s a really great culture and a really nice place to work,” he said.
