Director, LEO System Modelling & SDN Orchestration in Ottawa, Ontario

Director, LEO System Modelling & SDN Orchestration

Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecommunications, corporate and government customers for over 50 years. Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of the largest and most successful global satellite operators.

Telesat Lightspeed, our revolutionary Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, scheduled to begin service in 2027, will revolutionize global broadband connectivity for enterprise users by delivering a combination of high capacity, security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and fiber-like speeds. Telesat is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices and facilities around the world.

The company’s state-of-the-art fleet consists of 14 GEO satellites, the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1 and one LEO 3 demonstration satellite. For more information, follow Telesat on X and LinkedIn or visit www.telesat.com

Our LEO System Modeling & SDN Orchestration team leads the way in developing cutting-edge modeling & resource orchestration tools for Lightspeed’s advanced satellite constellation. Running on high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, these tools enable transformative applications in service performance analysis, capacity management, real-time resource orchestration, and regulatory compliance. The team’s responsibilities and skillsets span system engineering, modeling and software development. The applications developed cover domains such as resource allocation mechanisms, network entry mechanism, service availability, EPFD compliance and coordination mechanisms, satellite payload power consumption management, resource utilization efficiency, and spectrum management.

As the Director of Lightspeed System Modeling & SDN Orchestration, you will lead the development of cutting-edge applications that drive our state-of-the-art satellite constellation, ensuring performance, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. You will lead the architecture and software development of the team’s modelling and orchestration applications, establish clear development goals and milestones, and set priorities for the team as a whole. You will ensure that application requirements are well documented and aligned with the Lightspeed requirements. You will maintain alignment with key stakeholders, ensure coordination with other related software development teams, and provide guidance to the Product Owner in establishing and maintaining the development plan. You will ensure team cohesion and workflow optimization following Agile principles, and coordinate with the Product Owner and Scrum Masters of the System Modeling, Software Development and Software QA teams in planning and prioritizing development. Finally, as Director you will ensure that sound software development and testing principles and standards are used throughout.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leadership & Planning

• Drive the architecture and software development of modeling and orchestration applications based on the System Model

• Define clear development goals, milestones (including demos), and priorities in alignment with Lightspeed development schedule

• Foster team cohesion and optimize workflows using Agile principles.

• Ensure that a clear set of requirements is maintained and aligned with Lightspeed requirements

• Collaborate with and provide guidance to the Product Owner in developing and maintaining the development plan

• Collaborate with Software Architects in the System Modeling and Software Development teams to establish a strong foundation for the modeling & orchestration applications

• Coordinate with the Product Owner and Scrum Masters of the System Modeling, Software Development and Software QA teams in planning and prioritizing development

• Ensure smooth collaboration and communication among the System Modeling, Software Development and Software QA teams

• Stakeholder Alignment

• Maintain strong communication and alignment with key stakeholders.

• Partner with external software and system engineering teams to ensure seamless integration within Lightspeed

• Quality Assurance

• Ensure robust software development and testing principles across all projects.

• Lead the creation of associated technical documentation

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, System Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.

• A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in system engineering and/or software development and/or management of software development

• A minimum of 5 years experience in management role(s)

• Significant coding and development experience

• Experience with Agile development

• Experience in satellite and/or communications systems is an asset, but not mandatory

• Specialized Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Creative problem-solver with thorough attention to detail

• Experience with SDN controller architectures is an asset

• Experience with software architecture

• Highly collaborative team player with a proven ability to build trust and confidence

• Proven track record of managing and inspiring cross-functional teams

• Ability to mentor and develop technical talent

• Strong leadership and communication skills (oral and written)

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with management, engineering teams and partners / suppliers

• Experience with business considerations and practical limitations related to system design and implementation

• Ability to prioritize opportunities, needs and resources

• An aptitude for and interest for complex technology

• Fluent in English (written and oral). French is an asset

DECISION MAKING & SUPERVISION:

• In this role, the incumbent will direct software development and will have influence on the system design of the Telesat Lightspeed system

• This role will expand during the program to an organization of between 50 and 65 staff approximately (managers, product owner, scrum masters, software architects, system engineers, software developers and software developers in test)

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Typical office environment

• Occasional travel may be required

Equipment Used

• Computers running Windows and Linux

• Linux Cluster HPC Environment

The successful candidate must be able to work in Canada and obtain clearance under the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP).

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At Telesat, we take pride in being an equal opportunity employer that values equality in the workplace. We are committed to providing the best candidate experience possible including any required accommodations at every stage of our interview process. All qualified applicants that have been selected for an interview that require accommodations, are advised to inform the Telesat Talent team accordingly. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential.