Technical Writer, User Terminal (UT) Engineering

Telesat; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Telesat is seeking an experienced Technical Writer to support the UT Engineering team. You will transform complex engineering data into clear, structured documentation for engineers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.

You will drive standards, reviews, and traceability across the UT product portfolio. The role requires collaboration with PMs, engineers, and leadership, with in-office requirements four days per week in Ottawa.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience creating technical documentation for engineering products or complex technology environments.
• Excellent written communication, editing, and document organization skills.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear documentation.
• Experience with aerospace/telecommunications or embedded systems is a plus.
• Knowledge of configuration management and product development lifecycle processes.

Responsibilities

• Author, edit, and maintain engineering documentation across TRDs, PRDs, IRDs, ICDs and more.
• Develop executive summaries and management-level documentation from detailed engineering inputs.
• Coordinate document reviews and ensure traceability and version control.
• Support documentation standards, change requests, and supplier communications.
• Improve document reuse, automation, and content management practices.

Skills

Technical Writing

Collaboration

Editing

Education

Bachelor's or College diploma in Technical Communication or related field

Tools

Confluence

Jira

SharePoint

Jama Connect

Visio

Microsoft Office

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 12 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

The Technical Writer will support the User Terminal (UT) Engineering team by developing, maintaining, and improving technical documentation throughout the product lifecycle for Telesat Lightspeed User Terminals. The role will work closely with product managers, engineers, subject matter experts, and UT leadership to ensure documentation is accurate, consistent, traceable, and professionally presented.

The successful candidate will be responsible for transforming complex technical information into clear, structured documentation suitable for engineering teams, suppliers, integrators, manufacturing partners, and internal stakeholders. The role will help refine documentation standards, improve document quality, manage document reviews, and ensure requirements traceability across the UT product portfolio.

Main Responsibilities

• Author, edit, and maintain engineering documentation
• Technical Requirements Documents (TRDs)
• Product Requirements Documents (PRDs)
• Interface Requirements Documents (IRDs)
• Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
• Technical Notes (TNs)
• Design Description Documents (DDDs)
• Concepts of Operation (CONOPS)
• Verification and Validation Plans
• Installation, Commissioning, and Service Documentation
• Establish best practices to improve consistency across the UT organization.
• Develop executive summaries and management-level documentation from detailed engineering inputs. Collaborate with subject matter experts to accurately document technical concepts, decisions, and assumptions.
• Support the creation and maintenance of requirement baselines.
• Assist engineering teams in documenting requirement rationale, assumptions, and compliance evidence. Support document updates associated with Change Requests (CRs) and Change Notices (CNs).
• Manage document review cycles and coordinate stakeholder feedback.
• Ensure documentation complies with company standards, quality processes, and configuration management requirements.
• Verify consistency of terminology, acronyms, references, and interface definitions across documents. Maintain document version control and release records.
• Coordinate with product management, subject matter experts, engineering teams. Support communication and document exchanges with suppliers and development partners.
• Identify opportunities to streamline documentation workflows.
• Improve document reuse, automation, and content management practices.
• Support migration and organization of documentation within Confluence, SharePoint, Jama, and related tools.
• Drive continuous improvement of UT engineering documentation quality and accessibility.

Education and Experience

• College diploma or bachelor's degree in Technical Communication, Technical Writing, Communications, Engineering
• Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education, technical training, and professional experience will be considered.
• 6+ years of experience creating technical documentation for engineering products, telecommunications systems, aerospace products, or other complex technology environments.
• Exceptional written communication, editing, and document organization skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, concise, and accurate documentation.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project coordination skills.
• Experience working directly with engineering subject matter experts within multidisciplinary development teams.
• Certificate, diploma, or degree specializing in Technical Communication, Technical Writing, Professional Writing, Information Design, or Documentation Management.
• Experience in aerospace, telecommunications, networking, satellite communications, or embedded systems.
• Familiarity with requirements-driven development processes.
• Experience documenting hardware, software, FPGA, RF, or system-level designs.
• Knowledge of configuration management, document control, and product development lifecycle processes.
• Experience working within regulated or standards-based development environments.

Specialized Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Confluence
• Jira
• SharePoint
• Jama Connect
• Visio
• Configuration management systems
• Document publishing and content management platforms
• Using AI tools like Co-Pilot, Gemini, Claude, etc., to support documentation creation, review, and updates.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to quickly learn new technical concepts.
• Comfortable challenging inconsistencies and identifying documentation gaps.
• Excellent interviewing and information-gathering skills.
• Highly collaborative with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong proofreading and editorial capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Working Conditions

• Resource is required to be in office four (4) days weekly.
• Professional office environment.
• Support of projects across multiple time zones may occasionally require schedule flexibility.

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