Senior Satellite Systems Designer - Payload Lead

Job description

**At [Kepler Communications](https://kepler.space/), we're not just imagining the future of on-demand space connectivity - *we're leading it!*** Our mission is to provide real-time Internet access for space-based assets, enabling a new era of data-driven exploration and innovation. With **33 satellites launched to date***,* Kepler operates the first commercial optical data relay constellation, enabling real-time, continuous space communications while supporting advanced on-orbit compute and hosted payload capabilities. Industry-leading technology is only part of the story. **What sets Kepler apart is our team:** bold thinkers, skilled builders, and passionate problem-solvers who thrive on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space. We believe great ideas come from diverse perspectives, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can grow, lead, and make a global impact. If you’re ready to reach higher, move faster, and do work that shapes the future space economy - this is your launchpad. **Come build the future with Kepler!** **What We Offer:** **\* Competitive compensation** with a robust equity plan to share in our success. **\* Comprehensive coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance**—including dependents. **\* Unlimited vacation, supportive parental leave policy,** and company-wide holiday shutdown. **\* Semi-annual company-wide parties** and frequent in-office team events. **\* Relocation packages** available for approved roles. **\* $1,500 annual professional development fund** to support your growth. **\* Fully stocked Toronto office kitchen** with snacks, drinks, games and top-notch kitchen appliances. **\* Town Halls, Celebration Calls, and Company-wide events** to stay connected and engaged. **\* We’re a certified [Great Place to Work](https://www.greatplacetowork.ca/en/certification-menu/certified-organizations-updated#certified-organizations2/view-sub-list-details70/5f3438830d6f2900170827a4/)**®, five years in a row! **Position Status:**Contingent Upon Program Award As a **Senior Satellite Systems Designer / Engineer focused** on Payload Management, you will serve as a key technical leader responsible for coordinating, integrating, and managing payload-related engineering activities across a mission with multiple payload providers. You will act as the primary systems engineering interface between internal teams, external payload suppliers, customers, and satellite bus stakeholders to ensure payload requirements, interfaces, deliverables, test plans, and operational concepts are clearly defined, aligned, and executed. This role requires strong systems engineering judgment, practical experience with payload-level integration and planning, and the ability to build trusted customer and supplier relationships while guiding external stakeholders toward Kepler’s engineering standards, mission requirements, and verification expectations. You will help ensure that payload designs, documentation, test campaigns, and operational concepts integrate safely and effectively into the broader satellite system. The ideal candidate has first-hand experience with one or more payload domains such as optical payloads, RF or SIGINT payloads, radar systems, or related mission instrumentation. Success in this role requires the ability to translate payload capabilities and constraints into mission-level scenarios, CONOPS, coverage analysis, test plans, and system budgets including power, thermal, data, and operational timelines. ### Key Responsibilities: - Lead payload management activities across missions involving multiple payload providers, ensuring alignment between payload scope, supplier commitments, satellite system requirements, mission objectives, verification needs, and program schedules - Serve as the primary technical interface with payload suppliers, customers, internal engineering teams, AIT/V&V, and program stakeholders to coordinate technical discussions, site visits, reviews, action tracking, and integration planning - Establish and communicate payload integration expectations with suppliers and customers, ensuring alignment with Kepler standards, mission requirements, interface control processes, documentation expectations, and system-level verification strategies - Review and assess payload requirements, ICDs, CONOPS, verification plans, compliance matrices, test procedures, and operations products to ensure supplier and customer needs can be satisfied while maintaining spacecraft design integrity, mission assurance, and program feasibility - Define and manage payload interfaces across mechanical, electrical, thermal, data, RF, software, command and telemetry, ground, and operational domains - Drive mission analysis for the integrated payload suite, including day-in-the-life scenarios, payload duty cycles, operational timelines, coverage analysis, data generation profiles, and mission performance assessments - Translate payload operating concepts and mission analysis outputs into system-level impacts, including power, thermal, data, pointing, storage, downlink, and operational scheduling constraints - Work with payload suppliers to understand ground and in-orbit test plans, identify gaps, and align supplier verification activities with Kepler’s system-level V&V strategy - Develop or support Kepler-side payload inspection, ground test, integration, spacecraft-level test, and in-orbit checkout procedures, ensuring required hardware, software/firmware inputs, documentation, GSE, training, and verification evidence are ready for integration - Work with AIT, V&V, flight software, avionics, operations, product assurance, and program teams to safely integrate and verify payloads through functional testing, electrical and software interface validation, environmental test support, anomaly resolution, system validation, and launch readiness activities - Drive payload-related risk identification, mitigation planning, issue resolution, non-conformance disposition, and stakeholder communication across internal and external teams - Manage payload-related schedules, milestones, technical dependencies, deliverables, interface records, configuration control, verification evidence, and compliance artifacts in accordance with established engineering processes - Support LEOP, commissioning, and early operations planning as required, particularly for payload activation, checkout, calibration, validation, and anomaly response - Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior and intermediate engineers supporting payload systems engineering, mission analysis, verification, or integration activities ### Required Skills & Qualifications: - - Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field - 7+ years of experience in systems engineering, spacecraft development, payload engineering, mission systems engineering, or a similar technical leadership role - First-hand experience with payload-level engineering, accommodation, integration, verification, or operations planning for space systems or complex mission instrumentation - Experience with one or more payload domains such as optical payloads, RF payloads, SIGINT payloads, radar systems, remote sensing instruments, communications payloads, or related sensor systems - Strong understanding of payload-to-spacecraft interfaces and their impact on spacecraft design, including mechanical, electrical, thermal, data, RF, software, command and telemetry, ground, and operational interfaces - Experience working with external suppliers, customers, or partners in a technical interface role, including coordination of technical deliverables, supplier inputs, test plans, interface documentation, and compliance evidence - Experience developing or reviewing requirements, ICDs, CONOPS, verification plans, test procedures, compliance matrices, and technical documentation - Strong mission analysis capability, including operational scenario development, coverage analysis, duty-cycle analysis, and translation of payload operations into power, thermal, data, pointing, downlink, and mission performance impacts - Demonstrated willingness and ability to leverage AI-assisted engineering and development tools to improve productivity, design quality, and innovation while adapting to evolving technologies and best practices - Experience supporting payload integration and test activities, including incoming inspection, functional testing, interface validation, anomaly resolution, verification evidence review, and system validation - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve ambiguity and drive technical closure across internal and external teams - Effective communicator with the ability to present complex payload, mission, and system-level topics to technical teams, customers, suppliers, and program stakeholders - Ability to balance technical rigor with practical program constraints, including cost, schedule, risk, supplier readiness, and mission assurance ### Bonus Points: - Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field - Experience supporting payload commissioning, LEOP, in-orbit checkout, calibration campaigns, or operational validation - Experience with mission analysis, simulation, or modeling tools such as Python, MATLAB, STK, Savoir, or equivalent tools - Experience with payload data pipelines, ground segment interfaces, mission operations planning, or data product generation - Familiarity with environmental testing, EMC/EMI testing, RF testing, optical testing, calibration testing, or payload functional test campaigns - Experience with FMECA, FDIR, RAMS, safety analysis, anomaly resolution, or non-conformance management - Familiarity with space industry standards and systems engineering practices such as the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, ECSS standards, INCOSE guidance, or equivalent internal engineering standards - Experience supporting technical subcontract oversight, supplier technical reviews, or customer-facing technical coordination - Experience supporting technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR, MRB, or mission readiness reviews