Satellite Command & Data-Handling (C&DH) System Engineer for Fastwater Staffing

HIKINEX; Montreal (WI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

HIKINEX seeks a Satellite C&DH System Engineer to design, integrate, verify and support the on-board command, control and data management functions for current and next‑generation satellite programs.

You will own the C&DH architecture, drive trade studies, and provide technical authority across the spacecraft lifecycle with collaboration across FSW teams and ground-segment interfaces.

Qualifications

• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
• 8 years of C&DH engineering experience on LEO/MEO/GEO platforms.
• Deep knowledge of spacecraft data-bus standards and telemetry/command.
• Experience with Confluence and JIRA; able to work with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Translate mission requirements into C&DH specifications and interfaces.
• Lead design of on-board processors, data-buses, memory and I/O interfaces.
• Develop verification plans, test matrices and anomaly investigations.
• Coordinate across FSW, Ground Segment ICDs and external partners.

Skills

C&DH engineering

SpaceWire

MIL-1553

CAN-A

CCSDS

FPGA

Embedded systems

System engineering

English

Traceability

Education

B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering

B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Confluence

JIRA

Job description

Role overview:

Our client is seeking a Satellite C&DH System Engineer to support and/or design, integrate, verify, and support the on-board command, control and data management functions for current and next-generation remote sensing & communications satellite programs. The role will own the C&DH functional architecture, drive trade-studies, and may provide technical authority throughout the spacecraft life-cycle.

Tasks summary:

Architecture Concept & Requirements

• Translate mission-level requirements into C&DH functional and non-functional specifications.
• Produce System Requirements, Interface Control (ICDs), and Description documents.
• Perform requirement management and maintain bidirectional traceability throughout the project lifecycle.
• Collaborate with cyber-security to embed resilience and security by design, ECU.

Design & Development

• Lead detailed design of on-board processors, data-buses (SpaceWire, MIL-1553, CAN, Ethernet), memory subsystems, and I/O interfaces.
• Support software architecture: command sequencing, telemetry packetization, health-monitoring, services, fault-detection-isolation-recovery (FDIR).
• Support Satellite Reference Database development and validation

Cross-Functional Coordination, Stakeholder & Program Interaction

• Communicate technical status, risk assessments and trade-study results to senior management and/or customers or partners.
• Work with FSW teams to define RTOS, APIs, task scheduling, real-time operating system configuration, services usage.
• Define uplink command formatting, downlink telemetry packet structures, and ground-segment data-handling interfaces (mission-control servers, data-archiving pipelines).
• Coordinate with the TT&C/PDT engineering and Ground Segment ICDs to ensure end-to-end data integrity.
• Support B&P (Phase 0 & pre-phase A).

Integration & Verification (IVV)

• Develop verification plans, test matrices, and validation procedures for unit, subsystem, and spacecraft level C&DH tests.
• Execute functional tests, bus-protocol compliance, SIL and HIL campaigns.
• Manage anomaly investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action implementation.

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor, guide junior engineers and interns.
• Act as technical liaison with customers, partners and external vendors
• Act as Continuous Improvement stakeholder
• Contribute to our client's knowledge-base, process enhancements, and standards.

Configuration, Documentation & Standards Management

• Author and maintain C&DH standards (bus protocols, data-format conventions, redundancy policies).
• Ensure all artefacts, analysis and documentations are version controlled in PLM environment.
• Support design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR/TRR...etc.).
• Support Technology Road-Mapping & Innovation

On-Orbit & Operations Support

• Support launch-pre-launch and early-orbit checkout, validate satellite functions, HK and nominal operation
• Support and analyse on-orbit telemetry, update filter parameters as needed.
• Support SOOH development and associated operator trainings

Required Qualifications:

• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace or related field with 8 years of C&DH engineering experience on LEO/MEO/GEO platforms.
• Deep knowledge of spacecraft data-bus standards: SpaceWire, MIL-1553, CAN-A, Ethernet, CCSDS packet telemetry/command and PUS services.
• Knowledge in processor, FPGA, firmware and embedded
• Strong understanding of aerospace system engineering fundamentals, space environment and orbit mechanics.
• Hands-on individual who can support systems integration processes and capability to test systems and resolve problems.
• Experience with Confluence and JIRA.
• Demonstrated capability to efficiently work with little supervision.
• Ability to distill complex problems to fundamentals to solve with analysis, similarity, or creativity.
• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills in English; knowledge of French will be considered an asset (Contact with clients outside Quebec and work on deliverables in English).