Satellite Systems Designer - Analysis & Support

Kepler Communications Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 101,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

Health insurance (including dependents

Unlimited vacation

Parental leave

Holiday shutdown

Relocation package

Professional development fund

Office kitchen with amenities

Company events

Great Place to Work

Job summary

Kepler Communications is seeking a Systems Engineer to contribute to mission analysis, system engineering, and payload integration for satellite programs. You will translate objectives into engineering outputs, own defined analyses, and coordinate with senior engineers across multiple teams.

You will participate in requirements development, design support, verification planning, and documentation while contributing to program readiness and operation planning in a dynamic space environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 4+ years in systems engineering, spacecraft development, mission analysis, or related role.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft systems, payload integration, mission design fundamentals, and lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Support system-level engineering for spacecraft, payloads, mission operations, and ground segment interfaces.
• Contribute to requirements development, flow-down, traceability, interface control, verification planning, and evidence tracking.
• Support payload integration by defining interfaces, constraints, data flows, and verification approaches.
• Perform mission and system analyses including coverage, access, link, and trade studies.
• Maintain technical budgets and analysis products (power, mass, link, reliability).
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to resolve interface questions and support integration.
• Maintain engineering documentation (requirements, ICDs, VCDs, budgets, reports).
• Support verification, testing, commissioning, and readiness activities.

Skills

Systems engineering

Satellite development

Mission analysis

Payload integration

Verification planning

Documentation

Cross-functional work

Python

MATLAB

STK

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems/Aerospace/Engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

STK

Job description

What We Offer:

• Competitive compensationwith a robust equity plan to share in our success.
• Comprehensive coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance—including dependents.
• Unlimited vacation, supportive parental leave policy,and company-wide holiday shutdown.
• Semi-annual company-wide partiesand frequent in-office team events.
• Relocation packages available for approved roles.
• $1,500 annual professional development fundto support your growth.
• Fully stocked Toronto office kitchenwith snacks, drinks, games and top-notch kitchen appliances.
• Town Halls, Celebration Calls, and Company-wide events to stay connected and engaged.
• We’re a certified Great Place to Work®, seven years in a row!

As a Systems Engineer, you will support satellite and payload development programs by contributing to mission analysis, system-level engineering, payload integration, verification planning, and technical documentation. You will work closely with senior systems engineers, payload engineers, mission analysts, subsystem leads, and program teams to help translate mission and payload objectives into clear engineering outputs.

This role is suited for an engineer who has developed a strong foundation in systems engineering and is ready to take independent ownership of defined analyses, technical documentation, interface coordination, and verification support activities. You will contribute across multiple phases of the engineering lifecycle, including requirements development, trade studies, design support, integration, verification, commissioning preparation, and operations planning.

The primary focus of this role is to support senior technical leads by performing mission and payload-related analysis, maintaining key systems engineering artefacts, coordinating technical inputs across teams, and helping ensure that payload and mission needs are properly captured, traced, verified, and integrated into the broader satellite system.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support system-level engineering for spacecraft, payloads, mission operations, and ground segment interfaces under the guidance of senior systems engineers
• Contribute to requirements development, flow-down, traceability, interface control, verification planning, and evidence tracking for assigned systems or work packages
• Support payload integration by helping define interfaces, operational constraints, data flows, calibration needs, verification approach, and system-level impacts
• Perform assigned mission and system analyses, including coverage, access, link, payload performance, operational constraints, and trade study support
• Develop and maintain technical budgets and analysis products, including power, mass, link, reliability, availability, payload accommodation, and mission performance summaries
• Coordinate with subsystem teams across payload, RF, avionics, software, mechanical, thermal, ADCS/GNC, ground systems, and mission operations to support integration and resolve interface questions
• Maintain key engineering documentation, including requirements, ICDs, VCDs, technical budgets, analysis reports, CONOPS inputs, review packages, and decision records
• Support verification, integration, test, commissioning, and operational readiness activities by preparing technical inputs, tracking evidence, and supporting closure of assigned requirements
• Support troubleshooting, anomaly investigation, and root cause analysis using test results, telemetry, data products, and interface performance information
• Participate in technical discussions with internal teams, suppliers, customers, and external stakeholders, with support from senior engineers as required
• Contribute to proposals, feasibility studies, early mission concepts, and new business initiatives by preparing analysis inputs, assumptions, and supporting documentation
• Apply systems engineering best practices with increasing autonomy and use analysis tools, scripting, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve engineering efficiency.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Science, or a related technical field
• 4+ years of experience in systems engineering, spacecraft development, mission analysis, payload engineering, satellite operations, or a related technical role
• Strong understanding of spacecraft systems, payload integration, mission design fundamentals, system interfaces, and the engineering lifecycle
• Experience supporting requirements development, interface definition, verification planning, technical documentation, or system-level engineering activities
• Experience performing technical analysis using tools such as Python, MATLAB, STK, or equivalent engineering analysis tools
• Familiarity with mission analysis topics such as orbital mechanics, access analysis, coverage analysis, link analysis, pointing constraints, payload operations, or mission planning
• Ability to support development and maintenance of technical budgets, including mass, power, link, reliability, availability, or payload performance budgets
• Experience working with cross-functional engineering teams to coordinate technical inputs, resolve interface questions, and support integration of subsystem-level designs
• Ability to develop clear engineering documentation, including requirements, ICDs, verification matrices, analysis reports, design notes, CONOPS inputs, and review materials
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks, evaluate trade-offs, and communicate findings clearly
• Ability to work independently on defined technical tasks while regularly coordinating with senior engineers, subsystem leads, and program stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical findings to internal engineering teams
• Familiarity with systems engineering standards, spacecraft development practices, or industry guidance such as NASA, ESA/ECSS, INCOSE, or equivalent internal standards
• Demonstrated willingness and ability to leverage AI-assisted engineering and development tools to improve productivity, design quality, and innovation while adapting to evolving technologies and best practices

Bonus Points:

• Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Experience with one or more of the following is considered an asset:
  • Payload integration, payload accommodation, payload commissioning, calibration planning, or payload operations support
  • Remote sensing instruments, RF payloads, optical payloads, communications payloads, or payload data processing chains
  • Mission operations planning, LEOP support, in-orbit checkout, commissioning, operational validation, or anomaly investigation
  • Ground segment interfaces, payload data pipelines, mission planning tools, operations procedures, or data product generation
  • RF link budgets, antenna coverage, payload-to-ground data flow, feeder links, inter-satellite links, or communications system analysis
  • Spacecraft environmental testing, EMC/EMI testing, RF testing, optical testing, calibration testing, or payload functional testing
  • Reliability analysis, FMECA, FDIR, RAMS, safety analysis, or risk tracking
  • Verification and validation tools, requirements databases, configuration management tools, or MBSE/digital engineering environments
  • Scripting, automation, AI-enabled tools, version control, data analysis, or software development practices using Python, MATLAB, Git, or similar tools
  • Participation in technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR, MRB, mission readiness reviews, or operational readiness reviews

Salary Range: $100,622 - 150,622 CAD

Actual total compensation will be determined at the Company’s discretion and is based on a variety of job-related factors, which may include, but are not limited to, relevant knowledge, skills, experience, performance, and education and/or training. The Company encourages all qualified applicants to apply, even if the posted salary range does not align with their expectations, as it does not reflect our total compensation package.
Job Type: This is for a current vacancy

Employment Equity & Accommodation Statement

Kepler Communications is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact our People & Culture team at [e-mail], and we will work with you to meet your needs.