Director, Systems Operations Software

Telesat; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Telesat in Ontario, Canada, seeks a key integrator and transformation leader for SysOps, ensuring alignment across architecture and program execution while driving AI-enabled transformation.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in telecom systems, leadership skills, and the ability to manage cross-functional teams. Responsibilities include vendor management, governance, and overseeing program delivery to ensure cohesive system behavior.

This position presents a significant opportunity in modernizing development practices through AI-driven initiatives.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in OSS/BSS/NMS, telecom systems, or large-scale software platforms.
• Minimum 10 years of proven management experience managing and mentoring direct reports.
• Demonstrated experience in cross-functional system integration and alignment.

Responsibilities

• Lead offshore/vendor engagement strategy across SysOps.
• Ensure alignment across all SysOps domains.
• Provide oversight to ensure LSS capabilities align with system architecture.

Skills

Cross-functional influence

Systems thinking

Vendor management

Leadership

Program governance

Education

Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

AI-enabled development practices

Job description

This role serves as a key integrator and transformation leader across SysOps, responsible for ensuring alignment across architecture, requirements, vendor delivery, and program execution.

Operating horizontally across teams, the position provides governance, coordination, and strategic oversight to ensure SysOps functions as a cohesive system rather than independent delivery streams. The role plays a central part in driving AI-enabled transformation, enabling structured, high-quality inputs (requirements, design, and architecture) that support the transition to AI-assisted, in-house development models.

This is a high-impact leadership role requiring strong systems thinking, cross-functional influence, and the ability to operate effectively across engineering, product, operations, and vendor ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

• Vendor Strategy & Management: Lead offshore/vendor engagement strategy across SysOps, including scope allocation, de-scoping, and transition to in-house development while maintaining effective vendor relationships.
• SysOps Functional Alignment: Ensure alignment across all SysOps domains (EMS, CNMS, CNOS, NCS, Operations, and BSS), resolving cross-team gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies to enable cohesive system behavior.
• Architecture Alignment Oversight:Provide oversight to ensure LSS capabilities align with system architecture across domains and that requirements, design, and implementation remain consistent with target architecture.
• Product Owner Function Leadership:Consolidate and standardize the Product Owner function across SysOps to ensure consistent backlog management, prioritization, and coordination of cross-team dependencies.
• Program Governance & Oversight:Provide cross-functional program oversight, tracking progress, risks, and dependencies across vendor deliverables and internal teams, and supporting leadership with integrated program visibility.
• IVV & Integration Management:Coordinate integration, verification, and validation activities across SysOps systems, ensuring end-to-end integration readiness and alignment of testing strategies.
• Operations & BSS Alignment:Ensure SysOps capabilities align with operational (NOC) needs and BSS integration requirements, supporting end-to-end service workflows.
• Documentation & External Deliverables Governance:Oversee the quality, consistency, and status of external-facing documentation, including requirements, architecture artifacts, vendor deliverables, and program documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• 15+ years of experience in OSS/BSS/NMS, telecom systems, or large-scale software platforms
• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experienceMininum 10 years of proven management experience managing and mentoring direct reports
• Leadership of large, cross-functional teams in matrixed environments
• Demonstrated experience in cross-functional system integration and alignment
• Vendor and offshore delivery management
• Program governance and large-scale delivery oversight

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI-enabled or model-driven development practices
• Strong understanding of complex BSS/OSS, Management Plane, and Control Plane architectures.
• Experience driving organizational transformation across multiple teams and vendors

This role is critical to the success of SysOps as it transitions toward a more integrated, AI-driven delivery model. It ensures that alignment, traceability, and integration are maintained across all domains, reducing risk and enabling more efficient execution at scale.

The ideal candidate will bring a balance of technical depth, program leadership, and organizational influence, with the ability to connect strategy to execution across multiple teams and stakeholders.

This position offers the opportunity to shape how SysOps operates as a unified system and to play a leading role in modernizing development practices through AI-driven transformation.