System Architect

Telesat; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading satellite communications company based in Ottawa, Canada, is looking for an experienced professional to lead systems architecture for the Lightspeed product. This role will focus on designing the architecture that includes satellites, terminals, and networking components. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in software development and systems architecture with at least 12 years of experience, and must be familiar with embedded systems and networking protocols. The position requires excellent communication and leadership skills to ensure successful project execution.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in software development and systems architecture.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems, networking and communication protocols.
• Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering and the Capella toolset would be an asset.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the Telesat Lightspeed constellation architecture.
• Define and maintain the end-to-end product system architecture.
• Ensure architectural alignment with business and operational goals.

Skills

Software development

Systems architecture

Embedded systems

Networking and communication protocols

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Cybersecurity knowledge

Model Based Systems Engineering

Familiarity with Cloud computing

Experience with Jira

Experience with Confluence

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

This critical role focuses on the advanced systems architecture for the strategic Lightspeed product being developed by Telesat. The ideal candidate will lead the definition, prioritization, and design of the Lightspeed constellation, with a particular focus on end-to-end product system architecture. The architecture covers all components of the Lightspeed solution including satellites, terminals, networking, and ground systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the Telesat Lightspeed constellation architecture, enabling dynamic service orchestration, configuration management, telemetry, and lifecycle automation across distributed systems.
• Define and maintain the end-to-end product system architecture.
• Ensure architectural alignment with business and operational goals, including fault tolerance, observability, and maintainability.
• Provide architectural oversight during Agile Release Product Increment planning, sprint execution, and release readiness, ensuring technical consistency and strategic alignment.
• Prioritize development efforts based on business value, technical feasibility, and strategic alignment.
• Lead the development and governance of the system architecture for Telesat Lightspeed, including hardware, embedded software, cloud-native services, network orchestration, and edge computing.
• Define and maintain architectural standards, ensuring alignment with business goals, security, and performance requirements.
• Work closely with respective domain architects responsible for delivering hardware and software components and ensure seamless integration into the overall system architecture.
• Oversee technical evaluations, interface definitions, and integration strategies for third-party solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in software development and systems architecture.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems, networking and communication protocols, network management operations, and satellite domains.
• Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering and the Capella toolset would be an asset.
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms.
• Familiarity with Cybersecurity paradigms.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with Jira and Confluence would be an asset.

The successful candidate must be able to work in Canada and obtain clearance under the Canadian Controlled Goods program (CGP).