Sr. Engineering Manager - Digital Engineering - FPGA and DSP

MDA; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

MDA Space is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a medium-sized technical department responsible for FPGA, DSP, embedded software, and hardware projects. You will recruit, mentor, and retain technical staff while overseeing performance, budgets, and delivery to meet program objectives.

The role requires deep experience managing complex space-grade products, strong leadership, and bilingual communication skills in French and English, with a focus on safe, collaborative operations and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in engineering management.
• Proven background developing complex products that integrate FPGA, DSP, embedded software and hardware.
• Bilingual French and English (customer interactions outside Quebec and head office in Ontario).

Responsibilities

• Allocate manpower to projects and R&D activities, balance program requirements and staffing levels.
• Monitor employee performance and conduct annual appraisals.
• Foster a safe, inclusive work environment and support career development.
• Define and implement performance improvement plans and discipline when needed.
• Promote digital development practices and ensure compliance with quality systems.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Conflict resolution

Budgeting

Negotiation

Team building

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

FPGA

DSP

Embedded software

Electronic hardware

Job description

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space 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 global MDA Space team of more than 5,500 space experts 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. For more information, visit www.mda.space .

Role:

The Engineering Manager manages an entire small to medium-sized technical department, recruiting and retaining a workforce with the key technical skills required to ensure the successful execution and delivery of the company's products and projects. The department in question may belong to one of the areas of engineering, manufacturing or support services of a technical nature.

Responsibility:

Resource management (workforce and facilities):

• Allocate manpower to projects, front end of the business and R&D activities, taking into account the skills, type of task, experience and environment of the program team.
• Identify and manage labour conflicts between all programs.
• Coordinate and approve employee vacation requests based on program requirements.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels by regularly analyzing program and department demands. Take appropriate hiring or layoff actions to adjust staffing levels accordingly.
• Implement knowledge transfer and technical expertise retention strategies to mitigate risks associated with departures, retirements, and critical resources.
• Ensure the development of succession resources for strategic skills and critical technology sectors.
• Coordinate the acquisition and use of the software tools required for the department activities with Information Services.
• Assign and co-ordinate appropriate test facilities and equipment to the department for Flight-testing and development activities.
• Suggest required capital investment items with appropriate financial justification and implement procurement within budget and on time to support ongoing operations.

Performance / Employee Management:

• Monitor and manage overall employee performance, including technical quality, cost and schedule compliance and attendance.
• Conduct annual performance appraisals for all members of the department, with input from program teams. Set individual objectives in line with the department's objectives and the division's overall strategic objectives.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment focused on employee well-being, engagement, and mobilization.
• Facilitate the creation of a development plan by employees and provide or arrange individual career guidance, as needed.
• Ensure the proper and judicious application of the company's collective agreements (engineering and others) in collaboration with the Human Resources department.
• Define and implement a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) as required and, where necessary, follow the appropriate disciplinary procedures under the direction of the Human Resources department.

Technical overview:

• Evaluate and promote the adoption of new technologies, tools, methodologies, and development practices to improve the quality, productivity, and competitiveness of the company's products.
• Monitor technological developments in the fields of FPGA, DSP, ASIC and digital space technologies.
• Participate in or lead Technical Overview Board (TOB) meetings, providing expert advice and technical guidance to project teams, as well as advice on the quality and effectiveness of the overall presentation.
• Coordinate and ensure the dissemination of lessons learned relating to the engineering discipline following the resolution of significant issues.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure corrective actions are implemented where appropriate.
• Identify and promote opportunities for automation and the use of artificial intelligence tools to improve the efficiency of engineering activities.
• Participate in or lead technical troubleshooting and problem solving investigations where significant failures or non-conformances have occurred. Provide expert support to Engineering Review Boards and customer requests as required.

Financial Management:

• Manage the department overhead budget within allocation and provide forecasts to finance as required.
• Coordinate capital planning for the department. Suggest fiscally responsible items taking into account return on investment criteria. To acquire the item to be capitalized within budget and on schedule.

Developing, updating and applying processes:

• Promote the use of digital development best practices, including verification, validation, IP reuse, test automation, continuous integration, and continuous quality improvement.
• Develop and maintain department-specific policies, processes and work instructions.
• Act as process owner for all department processes and ensure they are current and relevant by carrying out regular reviews and updates, as required by the corporate quality system.
• Ensure that the department's staff apply and comply with the company's general policies and processes.

Improving operational processes:

• Suggest new business process improvement initiatives to improve overall service efficiency.
• Participate in or lead business process improvement initiatives.

Front end of the Business:

• Provide support and participate in proposal activities.
• Make recommendations to the product development structure for new products and R&D initiatives in line with the strategic direction of the business.
• Support and co-ordinate patent applications in conjunction with the Product Development structure. Ensure that the company's trade secrets and proprietary information that provide a competitive advantage are protected and handled securely.

Minimum qualifications required:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years in a management role.
• Proven background in developing complex products that integrate FPGA, DSP, embedded software, and electronic hardware, preferably within the space industry or a related field.
• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal skills, conflict-resolution abilities, and leadership.
• Proven experience managing specialized technical resources in a matrix-project environment.
• Experience in negotiations, risk-management techniques, and financial reporting.
• Engineering degree (or comparable qualification) at the bachelor's level or higher in an appropriate discipline.
• Bilingual French English (Contact with customers outside Quebec and head office managers in Ontario).

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).

We're 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're excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we'll 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.

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.

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.