---
title: 'Technical Project Manager - Hardware at Kepler Communications'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-project-manager-hardware-kepler-communications-toronto-w5dnvjyg6q7s'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Technical Project Manager - Hardware at Kepler Communications

- **Company:** Kepler Communications
- **Location:** Toronto, Canada
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/kepler/ad963223-1b40-4b3d-9864-ad896f10e7a6

## Job description

The Product Realization Team is Kepler's hardware execution team. We turn product architectures into qualified, integration-ready, and repeatable producible flight hardware. We are seeking a Technical Project Manager – Hardware to lead the realization and delivery of spacecraft hardware products. As the clear point of accountability for your assigned products, you will lead an Integrated Product Team (IPT) and own the end-to-end execution required to deliver hardware that meets its technical and programmatic requirements. The ideal candidate combines a strong engineering foundation with a bias for action and a high degree of ownership. You are comfortable leading multidisciplinary teams, navigating technical and programmatic challenges, making decisions, and finding creative ways around obstacles to deliver results. This position will primarily support RF and communications hardware, including radios and antennas. Experience developing electrical, electronic, RF, or communications hardware is particularly valuable.

## Key Responsibilities

Product Ownership & Delivery

- Own the successful realization and delivery of assigned spacecraft hardware products from definition through qualification and production

- Lead the Integrated Product Team responsible for product development, build, integration, verification, and delivery

- Own product scope, schedule, cost, risk, and completion status, identifying divergence early and driving recovery actions where required

- Balance technical performance, quality, schedule, cost, manufacturability, and risk to achieve successful product outcomes

- Ensure product readiness and delivery decisions are supported by appropriate engineering and verification evidence

Integrated Execution

- Bring together the people, plans, suppliers, builds, and verification activities required to deliver the product

- Coordinate priorities, interfaces, dependencies, and decisions across engineering and supporting functions

- Identify and burn down product risks, drive issues to closure, and remove obstacles to execution

- Work with Architects and technical leads to turn product requirements and technical direction into executable development plans

- Lead product activities through development milestones and readiness reviews

- Communicate product status, risks, challenges, and recovery plans clearly across technical and program stakeholders

## Team & Execution Excellence

- Build alignment and drive outcomes across multidisciplinary teams without relying on direct reporting authority

- Promote a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and bias for action within the IPT

- Drive adherence to Kepler's product development, engineering, configuration management, quality, and verification processes

- Capture lessons learned and contribute to improving how Kepler develops and delivers spacecraft hardware

Required Skills & Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in engineering or another relevant technical discipline

- 4+ years of experience in hardware development, project engineering, technical leadership, or a related engineering role

- Experience developing and delivering complex hardware through multiple stages of the product lifecycle

- Technical depth in at least one hardware discipline sufficient to understand designs, interrogate engineering evidence, and reach independent conclusions

- Strong understanding of hardware architecture, development, manufacturing, integration, verification, qualification, and test

- Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and drive outcomes across organizational boundaries

- Experience managing schedule, priorities, dependencies, risk, and completion of complex technical work

- Strong communication, problem-solving, organization, and engineering judgment

Bonus Points

- Electrical or electronics engineering background

- Experience developing RF, radio, communications, or antenna hardware

- Experience developing spacecraft, aerospace, or other mission-critical hardware

- Experience managing external suppliers through development and delivery

- Experience transitioning hardware from development into repeatable production

Salary Range: $139,000 - 164,000 CAD Actual total compensation will be determined at the Company’s discretion and is based on a variety of job-related factors, which may include, but are not limited to, relevant knowledge, skills, experience, performance, and education and/or training. The Company encourages all qualified applicants to apply, even if the posted salary range does not align with their expectations, as it does not reflect our total compensation package. Job Type: This is for a current vacancy

## 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

- [Hardware Test Engineer - Contract 3+ Months](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-test-engineer-contract-3-months-kepler-communications-toronto-3hjy65hwrsa2) — 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
- [FPGA Digital Design Engineering Intern (January 2027) (4-16 months)](https://feeny.ai/job/fpga-digital-design-engineering-intern-january-2027-4-16-months-kepler-sqqxmza57sh9) — Toronto, Canada
- [Product Assurance Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/product-assurance-specialist-kepler-communications-toronto-fvdgf9jqyqqh) — Toronto, Canada
- [Electrical Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-design-engineer-kepler-communications-toronto-3e5rygcfkmbs) — Toronto, Canada
- [Senior Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-program-manager-kepler-communications-toronto-5pn2ap56p14e) — Toronto, Canada
- [Satellite Systems Designer - Analysis & Support](https://feeny.ai/job/satellite-systems-designer-analysis-support-kepler-communications-toronto-5280pqq3ymzc) — Toronto, Canada
- [Senior Satellite Systems Designer - Payload Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-satellite-systems-designer-payload-lead-kepler-communications-toronto-135awa2gek8r) — Toronto, Canada