Director, UT Engineering

📋 Description

• • Own the end-to-end technical vision for Telesat Lightspeed User Terminal (UT) and Landing Station (LS) systems, translating ambitious LEO network goals into a concrete, phased engineering roadmap that will deliver fiber-like global broadband starting in 2027.
• • Lead, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary team of RF, antenna, modem, UT/LS hardware, and LEO constellation subject-matter experts; instill a culture of technical rigor, psychological safety, and relentless delivery accountability across Ottawa and Bethesda sites.
• • Drive deep collaboration between hardware SMEs, internal software teams, and external development partners—ensuring that every antenna array, modem waveform, and network protocol is co-designed for seamless integration with the Lightspeed constellation and ground segment.
• • Serve as the primary technical authority in executive forums, translating complex link budgets, beamforming trade-offs, and dynamic LEO network behaviors into clear, risk-mitigated decisions that secure funding, regulatory approvals, and customer confidence.
• • Oversee system architecture, design validation, and certification efforts for UT/LS products, ensuring compliance with ITU, FCC, ETSI, DVB-S2X, 5G NTN, and MEF standards while meeting aggressive cost, power, and performance targets.
• • Direct vendor evaluations, technical due diligence, and contract negotiations for phased-array antennas, RFIC chipsets, modem ASICs, and gateway equipment—holding suppliers to rigorous KPIs for throughput, latency, reliability, and security.
• • Champion cross-functional integration across engineering, product management, operations, and business development—aligning engineering priorities with market requirements, launch schedules, and enterprise customer SLAs.
• • Establish and maintain the technology roadmap for next-generation UT/LS systems, continuously assessing emerging technologies such as digital beamforming, AI-driven link adaptation, and software-defined modems to keep Telesat at the forefront of satellite communications.
• • Lead technical reviews, risk assessments, and failure-mode analyses for all UT/LS subsystems; institute rigorous test campaigns, field trials, and interoperability labs that validate performance under real-world LEO dynamics.
• • Manage program execution across satellite initiatives, including hybrid GEO/LEO constellations, ensuring on-time delivery of critical milestones such as terminal qualification, gateway commissioning, and network service turn-up.
• • Communicate progress, risks, and strategic trade-offs to C-suite executives, board members, and external stakeholders through concise briefings, dashboards, and scenario-based recommendations that enable rapid, data-driven decisions.
• • Foster a continuous-learning environment by sponsoring hackathons, technical deep-dives, and patent programs that advance Telesat’s IP portfolio and position the company as an employer of choice for top-tier satellite talent.
• • Represent Telesat at industry conferences, standards bodies, and customer advisory boards—advocating for open architectures and interoperability that accelerate global adoption of LEO broadband services.
• • Ensure engineering practices embed security-by-design, supply-chain resilience, and sustainability principles, meeting corporate ESG goals and customer expectations for responsible technology deployment.
• • Travel domestically and internationally (up to 25 %) to vendor facilities, launch sites, and customer locations, maintaining an up-to-date passport and ensuring seamless coordination across global teams and time zones.