User Terminal Program Manager, Mil-Ka

Role overview

Program delivery and vendor coordination

• Lead Mil-Ka terminal programs from requirements through design, integration, verification, manufacturing readiness, delivery, and deployment.
• Manage vendor scope, deliverables, schedules, milestones, risks, actions, and contractual commitments.
• Own plans covering contracts, statements of work, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, risks, dependencies, and reporting.
• Coordinate technical teams to turn program and mission requirements into executable vendor development plans.
• Monitor vendor technical, schedule, cost, quality, and delivery performance and coordinate recovery or escalation.
• Plan requirements, design, integration, test-readiness, verification, manufacturing-readiness, and contractual reviews.
• Coordinate integration, verification, qualification, and interoperability across vendor and Telesat teams.
• Support development, supply, integration, and support agreements with engineering, procurement, legal, commercial, and contracts teams.
• Manage links to network integration, software, ground infrastructure, logistics, training, support, and deployment.
• Track deliverables, documentation, test results, actions, risks, decisions, and dependencies to closure.
• Maintain dashboards, schedules, risk registers, and status reports; set priorities and drive work across internal and supplier teams.

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, program management, or a related discipline.
• At least 6 years of program or project management experience in a complex STEM environment, including a relevant technology sector.
• Demonstrated experience managing external suppliers through complex hardware/software development, integration, qualification, manufacturing, and delivery.
• Strong understanding of satellite user terminal architectures and technical work across RF, antennas, modems, networking, software, electronics, and system integration.
• Experience managing requirements, statements of work, contractual deliverables, design reviews, verification, acceptance milestones, and supplier performance.
• Able to manage concurrent workstreams and communicate risks, schedule dependencies, technical issues, cost pressures, and design trade-offs.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling tools such as Primavera, and Jira or similar platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication across technical, programmatic, supplier, government, and executive stakeholders.
• Relevant communications, satellite, RF, or electronics technical background is preferred.
• Government/defence satellite communications or mission-critical systems experience is strongly preferred; government customer or defence contractor experience is an asset.
• PMP certification and/or a master’s degree or MBA is a plus.

Decision-making and supervision

• Establish priorities and drive execution across multiple internal and supplier workstreams.
• Make programmatic decisions within delegated authority and facilitate technical, contractual, or leadership decisions when issues exceed that authority.
• Identify risks, schedule impacts, resource constraints, and dependencies; drive mitigation and escalation.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams and provide guidance to engineers or specialists; supervise suppliers during supplier-facing work.

Working conditions

• Position is based in the Ottawa, Ontario, or Bethesda, Maryland, office.
• Hybrid schedule: four days in office and one day remote, subject to work needs.
• Office working conditions; periodic travel to supplier and Telesat locations is anticipated.
• Ottawa-based candidates must be able to work in Canada and obtain Canadian Controlled Goods Program clearance.