Satellite Operations Development Engineer

MDA; Montreal; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

MDA is seeking a satellite operations development engineer to design, implement, test, and maintain automated operating procedures for LEO and MEO missions. Procedures are written in Python, OCL, and SPELL and run on the mission control stack.

The role involves collaborating with flight dynamics, CONOPS, operations, and service teams to translate flight rules into traceable procedures, while conforming to the team's standards and release process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with strong coding background.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and maintain automated operating procedures in Python, OCL, and SPELL.
• Coordinate with flight dynamics, OPSCON, and other teams to translate rules into procedures.
• Ensure traceability between procedures and source documents.

Skills

Python

Systems thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science / software engineering / aerospace engineering

Tools

Jira

Confluence

GitLab

Job description

Job Overview:

MDA is looking for a satellite operations development engineer responsible for designing, implementing, testing, and maintaining automated operating procedures for low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) missions. Procedures are primarily written in Python, OCL, and SPELL, and execute on the mission control stack. The engineer works in collaboration with the flight dynamics, CONOPS, operations, and service teams to transform flight rules and flowcharts into clear and traceable procedures, while complying with the standards, reviews, and release process used by the team. The position also involves supporting satellite operations as an operations engineer.

Summary of Tasks:

Accounting for stakeholder requirements

• Gather operational requirements from flight rules, flow diagrams, CONOPS, and mission objectives, including functional, performance, and safety constraints that a procedure must meet.
• Work with the flight dynamics, CONOPS, OPSCON, platform, payload, and client teams to identify explicit and implicit needs prior to drafting a procedure.

Procedure Development

• Design, implement, and maintain automated operating procedures in Python, OCL, and SPELL, drawing on flight rules, flow diagrams, and CONOPS documentation as sources.
• Use Jira to track the development and modification of procedures.

Procedure Traceability

• Ensure bidirectional traceability between each procedure and the flight rules, flow diagrams, and CONOPS elements it implements.
• Ensure traceability of exceptions, such as a different Python variant, the use of SPELL or a specialized tool, as well as procedures that differ between programs A, B, and C.

Procedure Integration

• Integrate procedures with the mission control stack and ground infrastructure used in each program.
• Document the interfaces of these procedures, depending on the client, program specifics, and command and telemetry paths.

Cross-Functional Coordination, Stakeholder and Program Interaction

• Document and communicate procedure progress, risks, and changes to the team, clients, and partner teams.
• Coordinate common procedures and exceptions for which this engineer is responsible across programs A, B, and C.
• Participate in on-call support during critical phases, including launch, early operations phases, and anomaly management.

Procedure Verification

• Draft procedures and test matrices, develop automated tests for procedures, and perform dry runs and simulations prior to commissioning a procedure.
• Ensure or lead console validation for assigned procedures, particularly when the Python variant, client, or satellite hardware differs.
• Analyze test results, write test reports, and establish procedure execution profiling, telemetry and telecommand, and error recovery paths. Fix procedures that do not meet operational needs.

Technical Leadership and Mentoring

• Support junior engineers and interns during procedure development, review, and testing.
• Provide technical liaison with external clients, partners, and suppliers regarding procedure scope and exceptions.
• Contribute to the knowledge base and process improvement for procedure development, tracking, and release.

Configuration Management, Documentation, and Standards

• Manage version control procedures, testing, and documentation in GitLab, and use merge reviews for changes made to the shared procedure and its exceptions.
• Use and update continuous integration (CI) pipelines that ensure compilation, testing, packaging, and deployment of procedures to operating environments.
• Draft and maintain execution guides, user and developer documentation, and release notes for each procedure release.
• Track procedure content during program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, ORR).

Orbit and Operations Support

• Provide support to mission operations when a validated procedure must be modified to handle emergencies or adapt satellite piloting modes.
• Update the common procedure and its exceptions as the mission evolves, particularly in the event of constellation changes, new services, and differences in clients or satellite hardware.
• Provide support for the operations guide and training for operators using these procedures.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or at least 5 years of equivalent practical experience in LEO/MEO mission operations procedures and operational support.
• Practical experience in developing and testing procedures in Python or using specialized tools.
• Experience in integrating procedures and operations as an operations engineer, within daily operations at the SOCC or in ground stations.
• Experience with Jira and Confluence, as well as GitLab merge reviews and continuous integration (CI) pipelines.
• Proven ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Ability to break down complex problems into fundamental elements and solve them.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; (contact with clients outside Quebec and drafting deliverables in English).