Senior LEO SOC Systems Engineer

Telesat; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global satellite operator is looking for a candidate to develop and maintain software supporting satellite operations for their LEO constellation. Responsibilities include managing operational systems, collaborating with engineering teams, and ensuring robust automation. Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field and at least 4 years of operational experience. Strong programming skills, understanding of cybersecurity principles, and excellent communication abilities are essential. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in a similar role.
• Fluent in English, both written and verbal.
• Ability to obtain NATO secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software for satellite operations.
• Collaborate with satellite engineering teams.
• Participate in procurement and acceptance testing for operations systems.

Skills

Programming containerized software

Excellent communication skills

Understanding of cybersecurity principles

Self-motivated

Experience with operational systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Science or Mathematics

Tools

Modern operating systems knowledge

Containerized systems experience

Job description

Telesat (Nasdaq and TSX: TSAT) is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecommunications, corporate and government customers for over 55 years. Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of the largest and most successful global satellite operators.

Telesat Lightspeed, our revolutionary Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, scheduled to begin service in 2027, will revolutionize global broadband connectivity for enterprise and Government users by delivering a combination of high capacity, security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and fiber‑like speeds. Telesat is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices and facilities around the world.

The company’s state‑of‑the‑art Satellite fleet consists of 14 GEO satellites, the Canadian payload on ViaSat‑1 and one LEO 3 demonstration satellite. For more information, follow Telesat on X and LinkedIn or visit www.telesat.com

Want to be part of the team setting up the satellite control system for the most advanced satellite constellation in the world?

In this role, you’ll be utilizing the latest software technology to develop containerized software to support satellite operations and participating in setting up a high‑assurance containerized satellite control system.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with new technologies, learn about satellites and satellite control systems, and work in a collaborative operational team. Our system integrates the satellite control system with custom software components, a data platform, and advanced automation.

You’ll have a degree in computing, engineering or science with a variety of courses (especially physics, systems engineering, or satellite engineering), some work experience programming containerized software or some experience in an operational industry, and preferably some experience at a large telecom corporation.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software related to the operations systems. The LEO SOC Systems group produces an assortment of software to complement the control systems and assist with operations. This includes spacecraft data storage and visualization, monitoring tools, automation, etc.
• Develop, monitor and maintain the satellite operations systems to be used in Telesat’s advanced LEO constellation.
• Participate in satisfying all system requirements for all elements of the systems including real‑time command and telemetry processing, flight dynamics system, space situational awareness, data storage and analytics, ground encryption, constellation management and operations automation.
• Assist other satellite operations teams in their efforts to the utilize the control systems and related tasks.
• Participate in the procurement process of the satellite operations systems including acceptance testing, verification of requirements, and training.
• Collaboration with the Lightspeed satellite engineering teams to ensure that the systems are sufficient to operate the Lightspeed constellation.
• Develop and validate the operations systems, processes and procedures.
• Develop mission operations procedures and processes for LEOP, Orbit Raising and In‑Orbit validation and conduct appropriate training and rehearsals.
• Develop and implement robust automation of operational processes to reduce the operational burden and ensure highly reliable operations of the satellites in the constellation.
• Monitor and maintain the GEO satellite operations systems in use for the current GEO fleet operated by Telesat. Telesat is currently operating 20+ spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Science or Mathematics.
• Proven experience with operational system, with a minimum of 4 years in similar roles.
• Experience with modern operating systems, programing languages and frameworks.
• Experience with on‑prem clusters and containerized systems.
• Familiar with cybersecurity principals and best practices.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Fluent in English, both written and oral.
• Occasional international travel may be required; therefore, candidates will need to provide proof that they have no national/international travel or visa restrictions.
• Ability to obtain a NATO secret security clearance.
• Willingness to provide off hours support as part of a call‑out rotation.
• Travel, support of projects across multiple time zones and other project requirements may require overtime.

Decision Making and Supervision

• Self‑motivated.
• In this role, the incumbent will issue recommendations and have influence on the Lightspeed system design by:
• - Evaluating solutions for operations systems.
• - Providing decisions backed by technical assessments.
• - Supporting operational plans, anomaly responses and direct critical responses as required.
• Incumbent may be required to provide leadership to project teams and mentoring of junior staff.
• This role has no direct reports.
• The successful candidate must be able to work in Canada and obtain clearance under the Canadian Controlled Goods program (CGP) and NATO secret level clearance.

At Telesat, we take pride in being an equal opportunity employer that values equality in the workplace. We are committed to providing the best candidate experience possible including any required accommodations at every stage of our interview process. All qualified applicants that have been selected for an interview that require accommodations, are advised to inform the Telesat Talent team accordingly. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential.