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Posted 6d ago

Director Platform Products

@ MDA Space
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Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
OnsiteFull Time
Responsibilities:leading strategy, managing teams, overseeing delivery
Requirements Summary:10+ years space ground-segment leadership; 6+ years people management; university degree; travel up to 10%.
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Job Description

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure.

The MDA Space team of more than 3,800 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that’s been in our DNA since day one. 

For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we’ll take you there.


The Position

The Director Platform Products leads the design, development, and sustainment of the suite products and projects that are executed under the Geointeligence (GEO) BA Platform Products group. This includes

  • Earth and space situational awareness platforms,
  • Earth observation ground station components and platforms, and
  • Space observation components and platforms,

along with the associated systems security framework.

While proven technical excellence is essential, as the GEO organizational structure is projectized, a key element of this role is effective management of technical teams and individual contributors. You will be responsible for building high‑performing, diverse teams of engineers, analysts, program managers, and support staff; championing a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and mission‑focused execution; and aligning talent strategy with the company’s growth trajectory

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

  • Support the GEO Chief Architect Office with definition of the 3‑5‑year vision for the suite of GEO Platform Products, aligned with business goals and roadmaps.
  • Support the GEO Chief Architect Office with technology and product roadmaps, investment priorities, and risk‑mitigation strategies.
  • Own GEO Platform Products AOP and SGP revenue, GC, and cash forecasts

People Management & Culture

  • Directly manage a team of ~10 PMs, who manage ~200 professionals (systems engineers, software developers, hardware engineers, test & integration staff, etc.).
  • Recruit, develop, and retain top talent; build a succession pipeline for senior technical and leadership roles.
  • Implement performance‑management processes (monthly/quarterly reviews, career‑development plans).
  • Foster a strong cost-conscious culture within the GEO projectized organizational structure.
  • Foster a culture for strong technical project engineering and team leadership
  • Foster an inclusive, psychologically‑safe environment that encourages innovation, cross‑disciplinary collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
  • In collaboration with the Director of Operations, champion professional development – training, certifications, conferences, mentorship programs.

Program & Project Delivery

  • Oversee multiple concurrent GEO Platform Product projects (ground station componentization, platform product upgrades, software releases, hardware updates, etc).
  • Ensure projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and meet required user, performance, and security standards.

Operations & Reliability

  • Oversee GEO Platform Product 24/7 support services.
  • Drive reliability, availability, and maintainability initiatives; own metrics such as MTBF, MTTR, and system uptime.
  • Oversee incident response, root‑cause analysis, and corrective‑action processes.

Financial & Vendor Management

  • Own the GEO Platform Products revenue, GC, and cash forecasts (versus AOP)
  • Own the GEO Platform Products budget (CAPEX & OPEX); track expenditures, forecast spending, and, with support from CA, justify investments.
  • Support Director of Operations management of vendors (eg ASL maintenance).

Continuous Improvement

  • Champion OneMDA Business Transformation initiatives.
  • Institutionalize lessons‑learned and best‑practice repositories.

Risk & Compliance

  • Conduct regular risk assessments (technical, schedule, security, regulatory).
  • Ensure compliance with ISO‑9001, CMMC, ITAR/EAR and other applicable standards.
  • Comply with MDA Space governance policies.

Stakeholder Communication

  • Produce clear, concise status reports and executive briefings.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between GEO Platform Products and other GEO functional departments.


Qualifications/ Requirements:

Education

  • A University degree in Business, Engineering, Applied Science, Science, or other field from an accredited institution, or a related field.
  • Master’s degree (or higher) preferred (e.g., M.S. in Systems Engineering, MBA with a technology focus).

Experience

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in space‑related ground‑segment engineering, satellite operations, complex development or large‑scale infrastructure project.
  • 6+ years in a people‑management or functional‑leadership role (size of team ≥15).
  • Proven track record of effective technical management.
  • Proven track record delivering complex systems on schedule and within budget.

Leadership & Soft Skills

  • Strong people‑leadership style—coaching, empowering, and holding teams accountable.
  • Excellent communication—able to translate technical concepts for executive, partner, and regulatory audiences.
  • Conflict resolution, negotiation, and decision‑making under ambiguity.

Travel

  • Up to 10 % domestic/international travel (site visits, partner meetings).


Comments/Special Considerations:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold security clearance at the SECRET level, and pass security assessment for the Controlled Goods Program (CGP).

We’re a dream team of purpose-driven, collaborative and passionate people, and we are constantly looking for others to join #TeamMDASPACE to ignite new and innovative approaches to problem-solving that push us forward to improve life on and above Earth. If you’re excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we’ll take you there.

We have entered a new era of exploration and development, and MDA welcomes all who yearn to suit up and be part of it. An equal opportunity employer prizing diversity, integrity and collaboration, we are committed to growing MDA Space and Canada’s leadership in this next golden age.

MDA Space provides competitive compensation and benefits packages for its employees at all locations. As a team member of MDA Space, you and your qualified dependents are eligible to participate in a benefit plan that ensures a comprehensive level of protection through competitive health care including; extended healthcare and flexible drug plans, dental and vision benefits, disability income protection, life insurance, group retirement savings plans; and an employee and family assistance program.

MDA Space is proud to provide accommodation(s) during the recruitment process.  Should you require any accommodations, please indicate this on your application/cover letter and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.