📍 Location: Richmond, BC, Canada
📄 Employment Type: Full-Time
🏢 Work Arrangement: Hybrid
🚀 Start Date: TBD
💰 Compensation: TBD - depending on skills and experience
Important Screening Requirements
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Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
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15+ years of experience working with radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), or similar active imaging systems.
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Experience spanning hardware, processors, and/or data products within radar or SAR systems.
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10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
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Experience with SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
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Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large, complex programs.
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Must be able to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance and meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.
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Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
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Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
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Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to technical teams, executives, customers, and other stakeholders.
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Ability to work effectively within a large organization and navigate cross-functional dependencies.
About the Role
We are seeking a Staff Systems Engineer – Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Missions to provide end-to-end technical oversight of SAR-related engineering activities throughout the lifecycle of complex space missions.
This role will contribute to the development of advanced SAR missions that generate high-value imagery and actionable intelligence for customers.
You will work across mission concept development, spacecraft and payload trade studies, SAR system design, mission-level integration and verification, commissioning, calibration, and early operations.
This is a highly senior technical role requiring the ability to connect mission-level requirements with spacecraft systems, SAR payloads, processing systems, and end-user applications.
What We're Looking For
We’re looking for a Staff-level SAR systems engineer with extensive experience bridging SAR technology and space mission systems engineering.
The ideal candidate has the technical depth to work across the SAR lifecycle - from mission concept and CONOPS through payload and spacecraft trade studies, image-quality analysis, integration, verification, commissioning, calibration, and early operations.
This role requires someone who can operate comfortably at both the deep technical and mission/program levels, communicate with a broad range of stakeholders, mentor engineers, and provide technical guidance on complex SAR mission challenges.
Key Responsibilities
Mission Concept & Systems Engineering
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Provide end-to-end oversight of SAR-related engineering activities across the full lifecycle of a space SAR mission.
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Lead development of the Mission Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
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Define high-level mission specifications based on user and customer requirements.
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Develop and assess spacecraft-level budgets supporting SAR payload requirements.
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Translate mission objectives into technical requirements and system-level solutions.
SAR Mission Design & Technical Solutioning
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Lead technical solutioning for enhancements to existing and future SAR missions.
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Support and lead SAR beam-mode design.
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Develop and assess SAR mission concepts.
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Support SAR image-quality modeling and performance analysis.
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Evaluate technical solutions across mission, spacecraft, payload, processor, and application domains.
Mission-Level Trade Studies
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Lead design trade studies across:
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Spacecraft systems
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Coverage and access
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SAR payload
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SAR processor
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End-user applications
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Evaluate technical, operational, and mission-level dependencies.
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Balance competing system requirements and performance objectives.
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Provide technical recommendations and guidance to program leadership.
Risk Management, Integration & Verification
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Lead mission-level technical risk management.
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Oversee mission-level integration activities.
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Lead or support verification and validation activities.
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Identify technical dependencies, interfaces, and potential mission-level risks.
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Ensure SAR mission requirements and technical objectives are addressed throughout the engineering lifecycle.
Commissioning, Calibration & Operations
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Provide technical leadership for SAR mission commissioning and calibration.
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Support early operations of space-based SAR missions.
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Contribute to the development and execution of mission commissioning strategies.
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Support resolution of technical issues during early mission operations.
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Apply SAR system knowledge to evaluate mission and image-quality performance.
Technical Leadership
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Provide technical guidance to senior management and new business activities.
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Communicate complex SAR and space systems concepts to diverse audiences.
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Support customer discussions and technical presentations.
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Mentor and coach engineering team members.
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Help develop technical capabilities and domain expertise across the organization.
Required Qualifications
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Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
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15+ years of experience with radar, SAR, or similar active imaging systems.
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Experience involving one or more of:
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Radar/SAR hardware
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SAR processors
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SAR data products
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10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
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Experience in SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
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Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large and complex programs.
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Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
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Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
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Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, executives, customers, sales/business teams, and other stakeholders.
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Ability to work effectively within a large organization and navigate cross-functional dependencies.
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Ability to understand and manage diverse stakeholder needs.
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Ability to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance.
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Ability to meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
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Experience with MATLAB and/or Python.
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Strong understanding of satellite-based SAR payload design and operations.
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Experience with space mission design, including:
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Coverage and access
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Orbital dynamics
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Mission geometry
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Understanding of spacecraft design considerations, including:
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Thermal
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Power
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Pointing accuracy
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Spacecraft interfaces
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Strong understanding of geospatial data.
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Experience with SAR image-quality analysis and modeling.
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Experience working across SAR payload, spacecraft, processor, and end-user application interfaces.
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Ability to rapidly learn new technologies and domain-specific concepts.
