Staff Systems Engineer – Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Missions | Remote Opportunity | Fastwater Staffing

📍 Location: Richmond, BC, Canada
📄 Employment Type: Full-Time
🏢 Work Arrangement: Hybrid
🚀 Start Date: TBD
💰 Compensation: TBD — depending on skills and experience

Important Screening Requirements

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 15+ years of experience working with radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), or similar active imaging systems.
• Experience spanning hardware, processors, and/or data products within radar or SAR systems.
• 10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
• Experience with SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
• Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large, complex programs.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance and meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to technical teams, executives, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively within a large organization and navigate cross-functional dependencies.

About the Role

We are seeking a Staff Systems Engineer – Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Missions to provide end-to-end technical oversight of SAR-related engineering activities throughout the lifecycle of complex space missions.

This role will contribute to the development of advanced SAR missions that generate high-value imagery and actionable intelligence for customers.

You will work across mission concept development, spacecraft and payload trade studies, SAR system design, mission-level integration and verification, commissioning, calibration, and early operations.

This is a highly senior technical role requiring the ability to connect mission-level requirements with spacecraft systems, SAR payloads, processing systems, and end-user applications.

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for a Staff-level SAR systems engineer with extensive experience bridging SAR technology and space mission systems engineering.

The ideal candidate has the technical depth to work across the SAR lifecycle—from mission concept and CONOPS through payload and spacecraft trade studies, image-quality analysis, integration, verification, commissioning, calibration, and early operations.

This role requires someone who can operate comfortably at both the deep technical and mission/program levels, communicate with a broad range of stakeholders, mentor engineers, and provide technical guidance on complex SAR mission challenges.

Key Responsibilities

Mission Concept & Systems Engineering

• Provide end-to-end oversight of SAR-related engineering activities across the full lifecycle of a space SAR mission.
• Lead development of the Mission Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
• Define high-level mission specifications based on user and customer requirements.
• Develop and assess spacecraft-level budgets supporting SAR payload requirements.
• Translate mission objectives into technical requirements and system-level solutions.

SAR Mission Design & Technical Solutioning

• Lead technical solutioning for enhancements to existing and future SAR missions.
• Support and lead SAR beam-mode design.
• Develop and assess SAR mission concepts.
• Support SAR image-quality modeling and performance analysis.
• Evaluate technical solutions across mission, spacecraft, payload, processor, and application domains.

Mission-Level Trade Studies

• Lead design trade studies across:
  • Spacecraft systems
  • Coverage and access
  • SAR payload
  • SAR processor
  • End-user applications
• Evaluate technical, operational, and mission-level dependencies.
• Balance competing system requirements and performance objectives.
• Provide technical recommendations and guidance to program leadership.

Risk Management, Integration & Verification

• Lead mission-level technical risk management.
• Oversee mission-level integration activities.
• Lead or support verification and validation activities.
• Identify technical dependencies, interfaces, and potential mission-level risks.
• Ensure SAR mission requirements and technical objectives are addressed throughout the engineering lifecycle.

Commissioning, Calibration & Operations

• Provide technical leadership for SAR mission commissioning and calibration.
• Support early operations of space-based SAR missions.
• Contribute to the development and execution of mission commissioning strategies.
• Support resolution of technical issues during early mission operations.
• Apply SAR system knowledge to evaluate mission and image-quality performance.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance to senior management and new business activities.
• Communicate complex SAR and space systems concepts to diverse audiences.
• Support customer discussions and technical presentations.
• Mentor and coach engineering team members.
• Help develop technical capabilities and domain expertise across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 15+ years of experience with radar, SAR, or similar active imaging systems.
• Experience involving one or more of:
  • Radar/SAR hardware
  • SAR processors
  • SAR data products
• 10+ years of experience in space systems engineering or a similarly complex systems engineering environment.
• Experience in SAR remote sensing, including system design, operations, applications/exploitation, and/or calibration.
• Experience working across engineering lifecycles for large and complex programs.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, executives, customers, sales/business teams, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively within a large organization and navigate cross-functional dependencies.
• Ability to understand and manage diverse stakeholder needs.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Reliability Status security clearance.
• Ability to meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MATLAB and/or Python.
• Strong understanding of satellite-based SAR payload design and operations.
• Experience with space mission design, including:
  • Coverage and access
  • Orbital dynamics
  • Mission geometry
• Understanding of spacecraft design considerations, including:
  • Thermal
  • Power
  • Pointing accuracy
  • Spacecraft interfaces
• Strong understanding of geospatial data.
• Experience with SAR image-quality analysis and modeling.
• Experience working across SAR payload, spacecraft, processor, and end-user application interfaces.
• Ability to rapidly learn new technologies and domain-specific concepts.