Spacecraft EMC Systems Engineer | Remote Opportunity | Fastwater Staffing

📍 Location: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada (West Montreal)
📄 Employment Type: TBD
🏢 Work Arrangement: Remote opportunities for U.S. and Canadian citizens; relocation assistance and bonus available for qualified UK and European candidates relocating to Canada
🚀 Start Date: TBD
💰 Compensation: TBD — based on skills and experience

Remote & Relocation Opportunities

• U.S. and Canadian Citizens: Remote work arrangement available.
• UK and European Candidates: Relocation assistance and a relocation bonus are available for qualified candidates willing to relocate to Canada.
• Candidates should be prepared to collaborate with multidisciplinary spacecraft engineering teams, customers, partners, and suppliers.

Important Screening Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Physics.
• 10+ years of electrical design engineering experience on LEO, MEO, or GEO spacecraft missions.
• Experience with spacecraft-level and unit-level electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements and simulations.
• Experience leading EMC engineers or multidisciplinary engineering task forces.
• Strong understanding of aerospace systems engineering fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience supporting systems integration, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with Confluence and JIRA.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• French is an asset but is not required.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Spacecraft EMC Systems Engineer to lead electromagnetic compatibility architecture, analysis, electrical design reviews, and verification activities for spacecraft systems.

The role focuses on defining EMC requirements, evaluating electrical and electromagnetic interactions across spacecraft subsystems, overseeing EMC testing, and coordinating with multidisciplinary engineering teams, customers, partners, and suppliers.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership throughout the spacecraft development lifecycle, from early design and requirements definition through integration, verification, and on-orbit anomaly support.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a technically strong and hands-on EMC engineering professional with extensive spacecraft electrical design experience and the ability to lead complex electromagnetic compatibility activities.

The ideal candidate can define EMC architectures, assess conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility, recommend mitigation strategies, oversee verification testing, and resolve cross-subsystem electromagnetic issues.

Strong candidates will combine deep technical expertise in spacecraft EMC with engineering leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate technical risks and solutions to multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

EMC Architecture, Concepts & Requirements

• Capture, allocate, and maintain traceability of EMC functional, performance, and technical requirements.
• Define spacecraft EMC architecture, including:
  • Shielding strategies
  • Grounding schemes
  • Antenna placement
  • Mode control
  • Harness segregation and routing constraints
• Ensure EMC requirements are considered throughout spacecraft design and development.
• Identify potential electromagnetic compatibility risks early in the design lifecycle.

EMC Analysis & Electrical Design

• Perform spacecraft-level EMC analyses, accounting for payload-specific requirements, including:
  • Radiated and conducted emissions
  • Radiated and conducted susceptibility
  • Antenna coupling
  • Shielding effectiveness
  • Fuse blowing
• Verify EMC compliance early in the design cycle and recommend mitigation measures.
• Apply shielding, filtering, grounding schemes, and layout rules to address EMC/EMI concerns.
• Review DC power distribution architecture, including primary and secondary buses, converters, fusing, and protection, for EMC/EMI considerations.
• Review conductors, terminations, connectors, and backshells to ensure materials, gauges, and shielding meet EMI control requirements.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Program Support

• Communicate technical status, risk assessments, and trade-study results to senior management, customers, and partners.
• Support Interface Control Documents (ICDs) with payload and platform teams and suppliers.
• Serve as the EMC authority during system and subsystem design reviews.
• Coordinate with RF, Power, Structures, Propulsion, Software, and Ground Segment teams to resolve cross-disciplinary EMC issues early.
• Support business development and proposal activities during Phase 0 and pre-Phase A.
• Collaborate with engineering teams and external suppliers to maintain EMC compliance across spacecraft subsystems.

Integration, Verification & Testing

• Develop the EMC Verification Master Plan covering component-level, subsystem-level, and full-spacecraft testing.
• Define verification activities for:
  • Conducted emissions and susceptibility (CE/CS)
  • Radiated emissions and susceptibility (RE/RS)
• Oversee test facility setup, instrumentation calibration, test execution, data reduction, and results certification.
• Author test procedures and define acceptance criteria.
• Lead CE/CS and RE/RS testing on hardware.
• Review supplier test results and verify compliance with EMC requirements.
• Support systems integration, troubleshooting, and resolution of EMC-related issues.

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor junior engineers and interns.
• Provide EMC training sessions and technical guidance.
• Serve as a technical liaison with customers, partners, and external vendors.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering activities and help resolve complex technical challenges.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, internal knowledge bases, process enhancements, and standards development.

Configuration, Documentation & Standards Management

• Participate in Change Control Boards (CCBs) and ensure impact analyses are conducted for electrical changes.
• Maintain GDIR and streamline EDTS processes.
• Ensure analyses, technical artifacts, and documentation are version-controlled within the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) environment.
• Support spacecraft design reviews, including:
  • System Requirements Review (SRR)
  • Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
  • Critical Design Review (CDR)
  • Manufacturing Readiness Review / Test Readiness Review (MRR/TRR)
• Support technology roadmapping and innovation activities.

On-Orbit & Operations Support

• Support root-cause investigations of on-orbit anomalies.
• Update design baselines and document lessons learned following anomaly investigations.
• Support development of the Spacecraft Operations and User Handbook (SOOH).
• Contribute to related operator training and operational readiness activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Physics; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• 10+ years of electrical design engineering experience on LEO, MEO, or GEO missions.
• Proficiency in spacecraft-level and unit-level EMC requirements and simulations.
• Experience supervising EMC engineers or leading multidisciplinary task forces.
• Strong understanding of aerospace systems engineering fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience supporting systems integration, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with Confluence and JIRA.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to simplify complex problems and solve them through analysis, similarity, or creative approaches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering or physics discipline.
• Knowledge of French.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary spacecraft engineering teams, customers, partners, and external suppliers.
• Experience leading spacecraft EMC design reviews, verification activities, and cross-functional technical investigations.