---
title: 'Lead Satellite Systems Engineer at Kepler Communications'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-satellite-systems-engineer-kepler-communications-toronto-1d60y86d7egr'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# Lead Satellite Systems Engineer at Kepler Communications

- **Company:** Kepler Communications
- **Location:** Toronto, Canada
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-06-24
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/kepler/223eeef2-f0e0-4656-a6d0-538074670f6d

## Job description

At Kepler Communications, we're not just imagining the future of on-demand space connectivity - we're leading it! Our mission is to provide real-time on-orbit connectivity for critical missions, enabling a new era of data-driven intelligence and innovation. With 33 satellites launched to date, Kepler operates the first commercial optical data relay constellation, enabling real-time, continuous space communications while supporting advanced on-orbit compute and hosted payload capabilities. Industry-leading technology is only part of the story. What sets Kepler apart is our team: bold thinkers, skilled builders, and passionate problem-solvers who thrive on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space. We believe great ideas come from diverse perspectives, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can grow, lead, and make a global impact.

If you’re ready to reach higher, move faster, and do work that shapes the future space economy - this is your launchpad. Come build the future with Kepler!

What We Offer:

- Competitive compensation with a robust equity plan to share in our success.
- Comprehensive coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance—including dependents.
- Unlimited vacation, supportive parental leave policy, and company-wide holiday shutdown.
- Semi-annual company-wide parties and frequent in-office team events.
- Relocation packages available for approved roles.
- $1,500 annual professional development fund to support your growth.
- Fully stocked Toronto office kitchen with snacks, drinks, games and top-notch kitchen appliances.
- Town Halls, Celebration Calls, and Company-wide events to stay connected and engaged.
- We’re a certified Great Place to Work®, seven years in a row!

As a Lead Satellite Systems Engineer, you will serve as a primary technical authority for satellite and space-system development programs, ensuring the integrity of system design, integration, verification, and mission readiness from concept through delivery. You will translate program objectives into executable technical plans, aligning requirements, architecture, interfaces, trade studies, verification evidence, and risk decisions across a large cross-functional team. The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience delivering through at least one satellite-level program lifecycle. Experience with constellation-level architectures, multi-satellite delivery, or cross-program technical execution is a strong asset. This role requires strong systems engineering judgment, the ability to lead through ambiguity, and the communication discipline to align teams and stakeholders while balancing technical integrity with cost, schedule, risk, mission assurance, and customer expectations. This position is intended for a technical leader who can operate with credibility across engineering, program management, product assurance, suppliers, customers, and senior leadership. T1/T2 expectations emphasize ownership of technical outcomes, disciplined integration, requirements alignment, decision closure, readiness evidence, and system-wide integration readiness across multiple subsystems.

Key Responsibilities:

- Be the lead systems engineering authority for a satellite program or major technical scope, ensuring the integrity of system design, integration, verification, and mission readiness

- Translate mission objectives and program constraints into clear technical direction across architecture, requirements, interfaces, trade studies, verification planning, readiness evidence, and technical risk closure

- Lead system-level design and integration across spacecraft subsystems, connecting subsystem decisions to whole-system performance, operations, reliability, customer commitments, and lifecycle needs

- Partner with Program Management, Product Assurance, subsystem teams, suppliers, customers, and leadership to align technical execution, manage expectations, and close decisions

- Lead technical reviews, trade studies, anomaly investigations, readiness milestones, and decision forums with clear recommendations and disciplined follow-through

- Manage technical risks and uncertainty by structuring ambiguous problems, clarifying assumptions, defining decision points, and maintaining clear escalation paths

- Represent the technical team in program reviews, customer briefings, supplier discussions, and leadership updates through clear writing, presentations, and decision rationale

- Mentor engineers and technical leads while improving systems engineering, integration, verification, and review practices to increase predictability and support mission success

Required Skills & Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field

- 10+ years of experience in space systems engineering, spacecraft development, satellite systems integration, or a related technical leadership role

- Demonstrated experience delivering through at least one satellite-level program lifecycle, including architecture, design, integration, verification, launch readiness, customer delivery, or mission operations phases

- Strong working knowledge of satellite systems engineering, including requirements management, system architecture, interface definition, verification planning, integration, technical budgets, risk management, and mission readiness

- Experience leading major technical reviews or readiness milestones such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, MRR/MRB, FRR, or equivalent program reviews

- Demonstrated willingness and ability to leverage AI-assisted engineering and development tools to improve productivity, design quality, and innovation while adapting to evolving technologies and best practices

- Familiarity with systems engineering standards and disciplined technical governance practices, including configuration management, discrepancy review, engineering change control, and verification evidence management

- Proven ability to lead cross-functional engineering teams through uncertainty, changing priorities, and high-pressure program milestones

- Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to align engineering, program management, Product Assurance, customers, suppliers, and leadership around technical decisions and program outcomes

- Excellent technical writing, presentation, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical issues into clear impacts, options, recommendations, and decision rationale

- Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and risk management skills

- Strong attention to detail, with the ability to maintain technical rigor while operating in a fast-paced program environment

- Flexible, proactive, adaptable, and results-oriented, with a practical “can-do” approach

- Demonstrated willingness and ability to leverage AI-assisted engineering and development tools to improve productivity, design quality, and innovation while adapting to evolving technologies and best practices

Bonus Points:

- Experience with constellation-level systems, multi-satellite programs, portfolio-level technical execution, or scalable satellite architectures

- Development or technical leadership experience in one or more spacecraft subsystem areas, preferably software, communications/RF, avionics, payloads, or other mission-critical satellite systems

- Experience using subsystem development knowledge to guide IPTs, provide credible recommendations, and connect subsystem-level decisions to whole-system outcomes

- Experience with FMECA, FDIR design or development, reliability engineering, fault management, or mission assurance practices

- Good working knowledge of orbit analysis, constellation configurations, RF link analysis, system budgets, operations, ground segment, space environment, and satellite mechanical and electrical architectures

- Good knowledge of a range of satellite applications, such as Earth observation, communications, navigation, science, or related mission domains

- Experience with payload development, integration, customer delivery, technical management, operations, or mission application understanding, including optical, SAR, SigINT, communications, or other mission payloads

- Experience applying AI-enabled tools or automation to improve systems engineering workflows, including design iteration, technical reviews, documentation, trade studies, and decision tracking, while maintaining engineering rigor and human oversight

Employment Equity & Accommodation Statement Kepler Communications is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact our People & Culture team at accommodation@kepler.space, and we will work with you to meet your needs.

## About Kepler Communications

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Building an internet-for-space communications infrastructure with a hybrid optical and RF satellite constellation for real-time data relay.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C, $92M raised)
- **Headquarters**: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed (founded by a group of graduate students)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Space communications / Satellite telecommunications
- **Target customers**: B2B, government (space agencies, defense), satellite operators (LEO and beyond)
- **Mission**: “Delivering on-orbit data at lightspeed… modernize communications to missions in LEO and beyond.”

## Products & Services
- **Kepler Network (Optical Data Relay Constellation)**: A hybrid optical and RF satellite network providing always-available, real-time connectivity for space-to-space, space-to-ground, and air-to-space communications. Supports SDA-compatible optical terminals, IP mesh networking, and hosted payloads. Data throughput up to 2.5 Gbps (Tranche 1), with 100 Gbps planned for Tranche 2.
- **RF Satellite Constellation**: A fleet of 21 RF satellites with proven flight heritage, offering global coverage for mission-critical communications.
- **Hosted Payloads & On-Orbit Compute**: Customers can host payloads on Kepler satellites and leverage on-orbit processing capabilities.
- **Priority Spectrum Holding**: Services that grant operators access to Kepler’s regulatory filings and spectrum rights.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$13M (LinkedIn estimate) | Total Funding >$200M (since 2016)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: IA Ventures (lead, Series C), Costanoa Ventures, Canaan Partners, Tribe Capital, BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund; partners include Tesat-Spacecom, General Atomics, Cailabs, Space Development Agency (SDA)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 28.7% YoY to 183 employees; launched first tranche of optical relay satellites (10 satellites) in January 2026; awarded prime position on SDA’s HALO contract (Oct 2024); demonstrated first bidirectional air-to-space optical link (Sept 2025) and space-to-ground optical laser link (May 2025); 39 active job postings (yearly increase of 160%).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertical Integration**: In-house production facility for satellite design, build, test, and deployment – rare among commercial space companies.
- **Patented Technology**: Tested and deployed on 33 satellites in orbit, providing proven flight heritage.
- **SDA Compatibility**: Built to SDA optical communication standards, enabling interoperability with any SDA-compatible spacecraft and eligibility for U.S. defense contracts.
- **IP Mesh Networking**: Demonstrated on-orbit networking using standard internet protocols, allowing multiple satellites to communicate over a single ground link.
- **First-Mover in Optical Data Relay**: One of the few commercial operators with an operational optical relay network in LEO.

## Strategic Focus
- **Deploy Tranche 2** (target ~2028) with 100 Gbps optical links, backward compatible with Tranche 1 and supporting both SDA and European ESTOL standards.
- **Expand on-orbit compute capacity** with higher GPU density for edge processing.
- **Grow defense and government customer base** through SDA contracts and international partnerships.
- **Scale the optical constellation** to provide global, always-available connectivity for space missions.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values drive, empathy, and agility; described as “passionate” and “collaborative” with a focus on making an impact in space communications.
- **Work Model**: Hybrid – full-time regular positions based in Toronto, Ontario. Some roles may require on-site presence for satellite production and testing.
- **Engineering Environment**: Vertical integration means engineers work across the full lifecycle – design, production, testing, and deployment – solving complex challenges in optics, RF, thermal management, and software.
- **Growth Trajectory**: Rapid headcount growth (28.7% YoY) and major contract wins signal strong momentum; 39 open positions across engineering, manufacturing, product, and program management.
- **Hiring Process**: Human recruiters are involved at every step; AI tools assist with initial screening but do not replace human judgment.
- **Diverse Team**: Employees across 10 countries, with a majority in Canada (65%) and growing presence in the US, UK, and Europe.

## Sources
1. [Kepler About Page](https://kepler.space/about/)
2. [Kepler Careers Page](https://kepler.space/careers/)
3. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/kepler-communications-inc-)
4. [Kepler Jobs on Lever](https://jobs.lever.co/kepler)
5. [New Space Economy Company Profile](https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2026/04/24/kepler-communications-company-profile/)

## Other roles at Kepler Communications

- [FPGA Digital Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/fpga-digital-design-engineer-kepler-communications-toronto-06zbekgzz5nn) — Toronto, Canada
- [Software Engineering Intern (January 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineering-intern-january-2027-kepler-communications-toronto-78211rnfaeje) — Toronto, Canada
- [People & Culture Intern (January 2027) (4 months)](https://feeny.ai/job/people-culture-intern-january-2027-4-months-kepler-communications-toronto-ywchqckwfa3x) — Toronto, Canada
- [Financial Reporting Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/financial-reporting-manager-kepler-communications-toronto-6y9332b8c33s) — Toronto, Canada
- [General Counsel & Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs](https://feeny.ai/job/general-counsel-vice-president-legal-and-regulatory-affairs-kepler-761sg6eq6wv0) — Canada
- [Senior Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-program-manager-kepler-communications-toronto-e8tq2g6avj0q) — Toronto, Canada
- [Senior Embedded Software Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-embedded-software-designer-kepler-communications-toronto-9y5r9vdmverd) — Toronto, Canada
- [Senior Infrastructure Security Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-infrastructure-security-specialist-kepler-communications-toronto-v6mkbpwswdpk) — Toronto, Canada
- [Embedded Software Engineering Intern (January 2027) (4 months)](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-engineering-intern-january-2027-4-months-kepler-hztcgp9fr4fn) — Toronto, Canada
- [Program Chief Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/program-chief-engineer-kepler-communications-toronto-q2jd3frjem4g) — Toronto, Canada