Satellite Bus Flight Software Systems Engineer | On-site Opportunity | Fastwater Staffing

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Employment Type: Contract-to-Permanent (Preferred) / Contract
Work Arrangement: On-site preferred
Start Date: Immediate
Compensation: TBD -- based on skills and experience

Important Screening Requirements

• Must be legally eligible to work in Canada.
• Must be capable of obtaining the required security clearance.
• English proficiency is required. French is considered an asset.
• Candidates must have strong experience with fault-tolerant embedded systems supporting LEO, MEO, and/or GEO spacecraft missions.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Satellite Bus Flight Software Systems Engineer to lead and support the system-level definition, architecture, integration, verification, and operational readiness of flight software for current and next-generation spacecraft platforms.

This is a systems engineering and technical leadership role at the intersection of spacecraft architecture, platform subsystems, embedded flight software, avionics, mission operations, and verification. You will ensure that spacecraft bus flight software meets platform and payload functional, performance, autonomy, safety, reliability, and operational requirements throughout the full spacecraft lifecycle—from early architecture and detailed design through integration, launch preparation, commissioning, and on-orbit operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate functional, performance, safety, and security requirements into flight software requirements and architecture.
• Allocate requirements to software modules and execution threads while maintaining bidirectional requirements traceability.
• Define Flight Software (FSW) architecture, including:
  • RTOS
  • Initialization
  • PUS services
  • Autonomy
  • Health monitoring
  • Fault management
  • Payload interfaces
• Define FDIR algorithms, isolation logic, recovery actions, safe-mode sequencing, and redundancy management.
• Guide the integration of FDIR logic into flight software.
• Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for payload, platform, and ground-segment interfaces.
• Support Satellite Reference Database development and validation.
• Collaborate with payload, platform, ground-segment, and mission-operations teams to identify and resolve integration issues.
• Develop and support Flight Software Verification Plans and integration testing.
• Support SIL, HIL, fault-injection, performance, and security testing.
• Support verification and test automation frameworks, test case development, results analysis, and test-report certification.
• Support spacecraft mode and operational procedure development.
• Analyze on-orbit telemetry and support software updates and operational improvements.
• Support SOOH development and operator training.
• Participate in major design reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR/TRR.
• Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical liaison with customers, partners, and vendors.
• Contribute to engineering standards, process improvements, technology roadmaps, and lessons learned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Embedded Systems, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience working with fault-tolerant embedded systems on LEO, MEO, and/or GEO satellite missions.
• Experience with:
  • CCSDS
  • ECSS
  • PUS services
  • MIL-STD-1553
  • SpaceWire
  • RS-422/485
  • CAN
  • Ethernet
• Experience with real-time computing cores and/or embedded Linux.
• Experience with auto-coding or automated code-generation workflows.
• Strong understanding of aerospace systems engineering fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience supporting systems integration, testing, troubleshooting, and problem resolution.
• Experience with Confluence and JIRA.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down complex technical challenges into fundamental components.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with end-to-end spacecraft flight software development and integration.
• Experience with FDIR, spacecraft autonomy, safe-mode management, and redundancy management.
• Experience supporting spacecraft commissioning and on-orbit operations.
• Experience with SIL/HIL, fault injection, and automated verification frameworks.
• Experience integrating flight software with spacecraft payloads, avionics, and ground systems.
• French language proficiency.
• Experience supporting satellite programs from early concept and architecture through launch and on-orbit operations.