Senior User Terminal Antenna and RF Specialist

Telesat • Ottawa, MD

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership in the evaluation, design, validation, and deployment of satellite user terminal (UT) antenna technologies for the Telesat Lightspeed constellation. This role will be focused on fixed, mobility, maritime, aeronautical, and land-mobile user terminal applications. The candidate will be responsible for the technical assessment of existing and emerging antenna technologies, including electronically steerable antennas (ESAs), phased-array systems, and tracking reflector solutions. They will provide technical recommendations to Product Line Management and Systems Engineering teams to support the development of Telesat's user terminal portfolio. In addition, the successful candidate will lead technical engagements with antenna manufacturers, technology providers, and development partners; conduct design reviews; support qualification and validation testing; and contribute to the definition of future antenna architectures and performance requirements. The role requires strong analytical capabilities to model antenna performance and assess operational suitability within the Telesat Lightspeed network.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in satellite communications, antenna systems, user terminal development, or related wireless communication technologies.
• Experience in antenna design, testing, integration, or performance evaluation.
• Experience in the design, modeling, simulation, integration, and testing of electronically steerable antennas.
• Strong understanding of phased-array antenna architectures, beamforming techniques, and antenna control systems.
• Knowledge of satellite antenna technologies including flat-panel ESAs, tracking reflector antennas, and hybrid architectures operating in Ku- and Ka-band frequencies.
• Understanding of satellite communications systems, including user terminals, modems, gateways, and network architectures.
• Knowledge of RF subsystems including power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, up/down conversion chains, and antenna calibration techniques.
• Familiarity with satellite communication physical-layer concepts such as modulation, coding, link budgets, G/T, EIRP, and interference analysis.
• Understanding of global regulatory and licensing requirements affecting satellite communications equipment.
• Strong foundation in electromagnetics, antenna theory, and propagation.
• Experience with RFIC, beamforming IC, and phased-array technology selection and evaluation.
• Knowledge of design-for-manufacture (DFM), production processes, and cost optimization for antenna systems.
• Experience integrating antenna systems with modems, networking equipment, and user terminal hardware platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with suppliers, partners, and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Strong analytical, technical writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent engineering judgment and ability to balance performance, reliability, cost, power consumption, manufacturability, and schedule considerations.
• Fluent in English, both written and verbal.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly present technical concepts
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Detail-oriented with a focus on quality and reliability
• Proactive mindset with a passion for innovation and continuous learning

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Ph.D. with research focused on phased-array antennas, electronically steerable antennas, electromagnetics, RF systems, or related technologies.
• Direct experience developing or deploying electronically steerable antennas (ESAs) for satellite communications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain technical requirements for Telesat Lightspeed user terminal antenna systems.
• Support the definition, allocation, and verification of antenna performance requirements for fixed and mobile user terminals.
• Contribute to the development of terminal certification, qualification, and type-approval processes.
• Serve as the primary technical interface to antenna manufacturers, technology suppliers, and development partners.
• Evaluate vendor-proposed antenna solutions with respect to performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, schedule, and regulatory compliance.
• Identify and recommend design improvements, technology enhancements, or new antenna concepts to achieve product objectives.
• Perform system-level analysis, modeling, and simulation of antenna performance within the Telesat Lightspeed network.
• Define and execute validation and characterization test plans for antenna prototypes and pre-production systems.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams in the evaluation of antenna technologies and user terminal solutions.
• Participate in supplier design reviews, technical assessments, and technology road-mapping activities.
• Maintain awareness of industry developments in satellite communications, phased-array technology, RF systems, beamforming architectures, and 5G/6G antenna technologies.
• Support customer engagements and business development activities by providing technical expertise as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• We take pride in being an equal opportunity employer that values equality in the workplace.
• We are committed to providing the best candidate experience possible including any required accommodations at every stage of our interview process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior