Staff Systems Engineer – Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Missions | Remote Opportunity | Fastwater Staffing

📍 Location: Richmond, BC, Canada
📄 Employment Type: Full-Time
🏢 Work Arrangement: Hybrid
🚀 Start Date: TBD
💰 Compensation: TBD - depending on skills and experience

Important Screening Requirements

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 15+ years of experience working with radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), or similar active imaging systems.
• Experience spanning hardware, processors, and/or data products within radar or SAR systems.
• 10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
• Experience with SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
• Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large, complex programs.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance and meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to technical teams, executives, customers, and other stakeholders.
• 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

• Provide end-to-end oversight of SAR-related engineering activities across the full lifecycle of a space SAR mission.
• Lead development of the Mission Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
• Define high-level mission specifications based on user and customer requirements.
• Develop and assess spacecraft-level budgets supporting SAR payload requirements.
• Translate mission objectives into technical requirements and system-level solutions.

SAR Mission Design & Technical Solutioning

• Lead technical solutioning for enhancements to existing and future SAR missions.
• Support and lead SAR beam-mode design.
• Develop and assess SAR mission concepts.
• Support SAR image-quality modeling and performance analysis.
• Evaluate technical solutions across mission, spacecraft, payload, processor, and application domains.

Mission-Level Trade Studies

• Lead design trade studies across:
  • Spacecraft systems
  • Coverage and access
  • SAR payload
  • SAR processor
  • End-user applications
• Evaluate technical, operational, and mission-level dependencies.
• Balance competing system requirements and performance objectives.
• Provide technical recommendations and guidance to program leadership.

Risk Management, Integration & Verification

• Lead mission-level technical risk management.
• Oversee mission-level integration activities.
• Lead or support verification and validation activities.
• Identify technical dependencies, interfaces, and potential mission-level risks.
• Ensure SAR mission requirements and technical objectives are addressed throughout the engineering lifecycle.

Commissioning, Calibration & Operations

• Provide technical leadership for SAR mission commissioning and calibration.
• Support early operations of space-based SAR missions.
• Contribute to the development and execution of mission commissioning strategies.
• Support resolution of technical issues during early mission operations.
• Apply SAR system knowledge to evaluate mission and image-quality performance.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance to senior management and new business activities.
• Communicate complex SAR and space systems concepts to diverse audiences.
• Support customer discussions and technical presentations.
• Mentor and coach engineering team members.
• Help develop technical capabilities and domain expertise across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 15+ years of experience with radar, SAR, or similar active imaging systems.
• Experience involving one or more of:
  • Radar/SAR hardware
  • SAR processors
  • SAR data products
• 10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
• Experience in SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
• Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large and complex programs.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, executives, customers, sales/business teams, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively within a large organization and navigate cross-functional dependencies.
• Ability to understand and manage diverse stakeholder needs.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance.
• Ability to meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MATLAB and/or Python.
• Strong understanding of satellite-based SAR payload design and operations.
• Experience with space mission design, including:
  • Coverage and access
  • Orbital dynamics
  • Mission geometry
• Understanding of spacecraft design considerations, including:
  • Thermal
  • Power
  • Pointing accuracy
  • Spacecraft interfaces
• Strong understanding of geospatial data.
• Experience with SAR image-quality analysis and modeling.
• Experience working across SAR payload, spacecraft, processor, and end-user application interfaces.
• Ability to rapidly learn new technologies and domain-specific concepts.