Payload System Engineer

Macdonald, Dettwiler And Associates Corporation; Montreal; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company seeks a Telecommunications Payload System Engineer for its Montreal office. The role involves designing and verifying advanced digital payload architectures for spaceborne systems. Candidates must have an Electrical Engineering degree, relevant experience, and strong analytical skills. Join a team committed to innovation in the space sector.

Benefits

competitive health care benefits

flexible drug plans

dental and vision benefits

disability income protection

group retirement savings plans

employee and family assistance program

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience in space systems or satellite communications.
• Strong team-oriented approach and effective technical documentation skills.
• Must be eligible to work in Canada and obtain necessary security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to system architecture design of telecommunications payloads.
• Support performance analysis including link budgets and signal routing.
• Collaborate with teams to define interfaces and ensure system performance.

Skills

digital signal processing

RF systems

telecommunications architectures

attention to detail

analytical mindset

communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Telecommunications

Tools

DOORS

Windchill

Jama

Job description

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX:MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The MDA Space team of more than 3,000 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that’s been in our DNA since day one.For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we’ll take you there.

Are you ready to launch the next stage of your career in the new space economy? We would love to hear from you!

We are on the hunt for a Telecommunications Payload System Engineer on our systems team at our Montreal office.

As the leading global independent commercial supplier of antennas, payloads, and electronics for communication and radar satellites, our team has successfully contributed to hundreds of missions in the past 60 years. With an extensive heritage in a wide range of solutions delivered to customers globally, our Satellite Systems team continues to grow and evolve on the ground and in the stars.

We are a dream team of purpose-driven, collaborative and passionate people, and we are constantly looking for others to join #TeamMDA to ignite new and innovative approaches to problem-solving that push us forward to improve life on and above Earth. If you are excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we will take you there.

We have entered a new era of exploration and development, and MDA welcomes all who yearn to suit up and be part of it. An equal opportunity employer prizing diversity, integrity and collaboration, we are committed to growing MDA’s and Canada’s leadership in this next golden age.

Role:

MDA is seeking a Telecommunications Payload System Engineer with a strong background in electrical or RF engineering. In this role, you’ll support the definition, design, and verification of advanced digital payload architectures for spaceborne telecommunications systems.

Tasks:

• Contribute to the system architecture design of advanced digital telecom payloads.
• Support system-level performance and functional analysis, including link budgets and signal routing paths.
• Participate in Failure Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) strategy development and analysis.
• Assist in RF signal analysis and system-level integration activities.
• Contribute to the creation and maintenance of payload performance budgets.
• Support requirements derivation, traceability, and management across subsystems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define interfaces and ensure end-to-end system performance.
• Participate in design reviews, technical documentation, test planning, and troubleshooting throughout the development lifecycle.

Must haves:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field.
• 2–5 years of experience in space systems, satellite communications, or a related discipline.
• Foundational knowledge of digital signal processing, RF systems, and telecommunications architectures.
• Relevant Experience with testing of satellite subsystems.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical mindset, and team-oriented approach.
• Effective communication and technical documentation skills.
• Must be eligible to work in Canada and capable of obtaining necessary security clearance.

Complementary skills/knowledge

• Previous experience in Space and/or Constellation Operations
• Knowledge of requirements Management tools such as DOORS/Windchill/Jama
• Demonstrated capability to efficiently work autonomously and with little to no supervision
• Strong written and verbal communications skills in English, knowledge of French will be considered favorably

Tasks

#LI-PP1 #SP

Comments/Special Considerations:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

Benefits statement:

MDA provides competitive compensation and benefits packages for its employees at all locations. As a team member of MDA, you and your qualified dependents are eligible to participate in a benefit plan that ensures a comprehensive level of protection through competitive health care including extended healthcare and flexible drug plans, dental and vision benefits, disability income protection, life insurance, group retirement savings plans, and an employee and family assistance program.

Equal opportunity statement:

MDA is proud to provide accommodation(s) during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodations, please indicate this on your application/cover letter and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.