Location: Richmond, BC, Canada
Employment Type: Full-Time
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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 RoleWe 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 ForWe'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 ResponsibilitiesMission 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.
