Senior Manager, System Operations Software

Telesat•Bethesda, MD

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, System Operations Software is responsible for leading the strategy, development, delivery, and continuous evolution of software platforms supporting the Control Plane, Management Plane, and Operational Data Platform (ODP) domains. The role provides leadership to architects, technical leads, and software development teams while driving engineering excellence and AI-enabled software development practices across SysOps. This position requires developing and continuously improving software products, development processes, delivery processes, and engineering strategy. The successful candidate will lead cross-functional teams responsible for delivering scalable, secure, and operationally effective software solutions while ensuring alignment with business objectives, architecture roadmaps, and operational requirements. The role is expected to play a key leadership role in advancing SysOps’ transition toward AI-driven software development, modern engineering practices, and highly automated operational platforms. Resource is expected to work onsite five days weekly. This role is instrumental in advancing the organization's software strategy across the Control Plane, Management Plane, and Operational Data Platform domains. The Senior Manager will lead the transformation toward AI-enabled software development, improve engineering effectiveness, and ensure delivery of scalable, operationally focused software platforms that support the long-term evolution of SysOps capabilities. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Requirements

BS/MS degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
15+ years of experience in software development, systems engineering, network management systems, or large-scale software platforms.
Minimum 10 years of leadership experience managing cross-functional engineering organizations and managing multiple teams in matrixed environments.
Demonstrated experience leading software development and delivery programs.
Strong understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, APIs, data platforms, and enterprise software development.
Experience with Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, and modern software engineering practices.
Proven ability to lead organizational transformation and complex technical initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-assisted software development and AI-enabled engineering practices.
Strong understanding of OSS/NMS, Management Plane, Control Plane, and Operational Data Platform architectures.
Experience with telecommunications, satellite communications, network management systems, or large-scale operations software environments.
Experience with cloud-native technologies, Kubernetes, microservices, and distributed software platforms.
Demonstrated experience driving engineering modernization and AI transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop technical leads, architects, and software engineering teams.
Build and maintain a high-performing engineering organization focused on innovation, accountability, quality, and execution.
Drive organizational effectiveness, talent development, succession planning, and workforce growth.
Foster collaboration across engineering, operations, architecture, and product management teams.
Define and execute software development and delivery strategies for Control Plane, Management Plane, and ODP initiatives.
Drive the continuous improvement of software development processes, engineering practices, and delivery methodologies.
Ensure product roadmaps, priorities, and release plans align with organizational objectives.
Establish effective governance for feature development, architecture reviews, code quality, testing, and release management.
Provide strategic direction for the evolution of Control Plane, Management Plane, and ODP platforms.
Ensure software solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and aligned with long-term architecture objectives.
Partner with architects and technical leaders to define technology roadmaps and investment priorities.
Guide technical decision-making across multiple programs and delivery teams.
Drive adoption of AI-enabled software development practices throughout the organization.
Establish standards, processes, and governance for AI-assisted development.
Leverage AI technologies to improve software quality, engineering productivity, automation, testing, documentation, and operational efficiency.
Champion continuous modernization of software engineering practices and toolchains.
Collaborate with executive leadership, product owners, architects, operations teams, and external partners.
Communicate technical strategy, program status, risks, and recommendations to leadership.
Support planning activities, resource allocation, risk management, and strategic decision-making.