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Senior Director – LEO Satellite Operations Location: Canada (Hybrid – relocation support available)

Holt Executive are pleased to be partnered with a leading global satellite communications organisation supporting a critical senior leadership hire within LEO satellite operations.

This role will take overall responsibility for the development, deployment and long-term operation of a next-generation LEO satellite constellation. The successful candidate will lead the definition of operational concepts, oversee SOC system development, and build and mentor a high-performing satellite operations team through all mission phases — from launch and orbit raising to in-service operations and end-of-life disposal.

Key Responsibilities – Senior Director, LEO Satellite Operations

• Lead the definition and delivery of the Satellite Operations Concept for a LEO constellation
• Oversee SOC system requirements including command & telemetry, flight dynamics, SSA, automation and analytics
• Manage supplier selection and make/buy decisions aligned to schedule, budget and risk
• Collaborate closely with satellite manufacturers to support operations readiness and procedures
• Lead development, validation and deployment of SOC systems and processes
• Build, structure and mentor a new Satellite Operations organisation
• Define operational schedules, identify risks and drive mitigation strategies
• Oversee on-orbit operations across LEOP, orbit raising, validation and steady-state service
• Drive automation to ensure efficient, reliable and scalable constellation operations

Key Experience Required – Senior Director, LEO Satellite Operations

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science or Mathematics
• 20+ years’ experience in spacecraft operations systems and on-orbit operations
• Proven leadership experience within MEO or LEO satellite constellation operations
• Strong expertise in satellite control systems, flight dynamics and space situational awareness
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead large, multidisciplinary technical teams
• Strong stakeholder management, decision-making and communication skills
• Ability to work in Canada and obtain Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) clearance

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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Hardware Engineer to join a leading R&D team developing next-generation technologies for advanced communication systems.

In this role, you’ll take full ownership of the electronic board development cycle, from concept and design through to testing, optimization, and integration. Working within a multidisciplinary environment, you’ll collaborate closely with optical, mechanical, and software experts to deliver high-performance, reliable mixed-signal electronics designed for use in space.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, test, and integrate reliable analog and mixed-signal electronics for satellite systems.
• Lead the full lifecycle of board design, including requirements definition, architecture, circuit design, component selection, PCB layout, and testing.
• Prepare manufacturing documentation and support production activities.
• Collaborate with internal and external technical specialists across hardware, software, optical, and mechanical domains.
• Contribute to system-level design reviews and ensure designs meet performance, environmental, and reliability standards.

What You’ll Bring

• MSc, PhD, or equivalent in Electronic Engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years’ experience designing and implementing mixed-signal electronics, from concept through to production.
• Expertise in analog/digital PLLs, control systems, ADCs/DACs, and operational amplifiers.
• Hands-on experience with schematic capture and PCB design tools (preferably Altium).
• Experience with photodetectors, transimpedance amplifiers, microcontrollers and/or FPGAs, and RF components.
• Proficiency with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and vector network analyzers.
• Background in space, aerospace or high-reliability electronics design.

Why Apply

You’ll join a passionate and technically accomplished team that’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in communications. This is a hands-on engineering role where your designs will directly contribute to the next generation of secure, high-performance space technology.

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Senior Product Manager – Connectivity

Holt Executive are delighted to be partnered with a global leader within the technology / communication space to support a critical Snr Product Manager – Government / Defense hire.

Heavily focused on defining, developing and delivering state of the art, resilient, ruggedized and secure communication and technology solutions the Snr Product Manager will work closely with Business Development, Engineering and IT teams to ensure offerings meet customer needs, regulatory requirements, and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities – Snr Product Manager – Government / Defense

• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, customer pain points, and opportunities.
• Engage with Canada and international government and defense clients to validate product concepts and gather requirements.
• Translate insights into actionable product specifications and feature sets.
• Support the end-to-end product development process, from concept through launch and post launch improvements.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, IT, and operations teams to deliver technically robust and market-relevant products.
• Assist in prioritizing features and enhancements based on market needs, technical feasibility, and business value.
• Support internal and external product training for sales and sales engineering teams.
• Assist in the creation of customer-facing collateral, technical datasheets, and portals/APIs documentation.
• Participate in go-to-market activities, including demos, proof-of-concepts, and solution design support.

Key Experience required – Snr Product Manager – Government / Defense

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Satellite Communication, Telecommunications, Business, or a related field.
• 6-9 years of experience in product management, ideally within Telecom, SATCOM or Networking Technologies for Government OR Defense customers.
• The role requires Canadian Security Clearance.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Flight Software Team Lead to join a growing space engineering organisation developing advanced spacecraft and satellite technologies.

This role will lead a Flight Software team responsible for the design, development, integration, validation, and maintenance of spacecraft flight software. You will play a key role in shaping the software architecture for satellite missions, ensuring robust development practices, high-quality delivery, and strong collaboration across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Alongside your technical leadership responsibilities, you will also support the development and mentoring of engineers within the team, helping to build a strong and high-performing software capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Flight Software team, overseeing the development, integration, validation, deployment, and maintenance of spacecraft flight software
• Plan and coordinate the team’s workload, creating schedules for flight software activities across multiple projects
• Ensure flight software is delivered to the required quality, schedule, and budget
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a strong and collaborative engineering culture
• Act as a subject matter expert in flight software development and oversee the high-level architecture of spacecraft software systems
• Work closely with spacecraft subsystem and systems engineering teams to identify software requirements and solutions
• Support knowledge sharing across international engineering teams and contribute to technical reviews across programmes
• Establish and maintain the software development lifecycle and methodology for flight software development
• Collaborate with cyber security specialists to ensure secure software development practices are implemented

Essential Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years’ experience developing flight software for satellite or spacecraft missions
• Experience leading engineering teams, either technically or through line management
• Strong embedded software development experience using C/C++
• Deep understanding of software development methodologies and lifecycle management
• Experience working with and modifying Board Support Packages (BSPs)
• Experience with UML-based design methodologies
• Experience developing real-time systems for spacecraft or embedded platforms
• Experience creating and implementing test plans for spacecraft software
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to lead technical workstreams while collaborating effectively within multidisciplinary teams
• Understanding of secure software development practices within space systems
• Experience developing flight software for space missions working with European Space Agency programmes
• Knowledge of ECSS standards for flight software

Desirable Skills

• Experience across the full spacecraft mission lifecycle from concept through to operations
• Knowledge of cFE / cFS flight software frameworks
• Understanding of ground segment architectures
• Familiarity with Agile or Scrum software development practices
• Experience with SysML
• Linux development and administration experience (shell scripting, make, etc.)
• Experience with Python or Bash scripting
• Familiarity with MATLAB, WindRiver VxWorks, CCSDS, CAN, SpaceWire
• Knowledge of microcontroller assembly languages
• Exposure to in-orbit servicing, debris removal, or end-of-life satellite technologies
• Understanding of ESA PUS protocol

Benefits

• Opportunity to work with a talented, diverse, and international engineering team.
• Flexible working around core hours in a collaborative, supportive environment.
• Hybrid working model with an optional 9/75 compressed schedule.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing with service) + 8 bank holidays.
• Private healthcare, life insurance, and long-term sick pay.
• Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship (where applicable).
• Modern office and cleanroom facilities.
• Regular social and professional development events.

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We are supporting a leading global communications organisation on the development of a next-generation network designed to deliver secure, resilient, ultra-low latency broadband connectivity worldwide.

This is a senior-level opportunity for an experienced User Terminal Systems Engineer to play a critical role in the development, validation and deployment of advanced user terminals. The position focuses on modem, antenna and RF integration within a fully integrated terminal solution designed to meet demanding enterprise, government, maritime, aeronautical and mobility use cases.

You will bring deep expertise in air interface protocols, software architecture, system functionality and terminal operations, providing technical leadership across architecture, vendor engagement and system integration.
 
Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain technical requirements and architectural frameworks for user terminals
• Ensure alignment with system-level performance objectives and operational concepts
• Lead the definition and evolution of user terminal operational procedures
• Interface with modem and antenna vendors to drive architectural alignment
• Clarify requirements, identify technical gaps and develop mitigation strategies
• Provide technical leadership across the product lifecycle
• Define interfaces, ICDs and subsystem/terminal specifications
• Develop and maintain development and deployment roadmaps
• Support service introduction timelines and long-term scalability across multiple market segments
• Ensure seamless integration of terminal functionality within the wider network architecture

Education & Experience Required

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or related discipline (Master’s/PhD advantageous)
• 12+ years’ systems engineering experience within networking and communications environments
• Specialisation in software engineering or software architecture
• Experience working with vendor ecosystems to deliver commercially successful products
• Knowledge of satellite communication technologies, particularly user terminal design
• Strong understanding of access techniques, modulation schemes and performance trade-offs
• Knowledge of antenna technologies for NGSO tracking across land, aero, maritime and fixed applications
• Experience with cloud, edge computing or mobile networking environments
• Familiarity with NGSO spectrum regulatory frameworks
• Understanding of modem and hub technologies
• Knowledge of ASIC design and manufacturing considerations
• Experience designing for high-volume production, cost targets and quality assurance
• Strong understanding of physical layer protocols for satellite communications

This is a high-impact opportunity to shape the architecture and deployment strategy of advanced user terminals within a transformational global connectivity programme.

If you are a senior systems engineer with deep expertise in satellite communications and terminal development, apply now.

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We are supporting a leading satellite communications organisation on a critical hire within a next-generation global satellite network programme.

This role focuses on advanced system architecture across a complex, distributed satellite communications solution. The successful candidate will lead the definition, prioritisation and evolution of the end-to-end product architecture spanning space, ground and user segments.

As System Architect, you will take ownership of the overall product system architecture, ensuring cohesion across hardware, embedded software, networking infrastructure and cloud-native services.

This is a high-impact opportunity to shape the architecture of a large-scale satellite network from concept through operational delivery. You will ensure technical alignment with business and operational objectives, maintaining architectural integrity across a highly integrated ecosystem.
 

Key Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the constellation architecture, enabling dynamic service orchestration, configuration management, telemetry and lifecycle automation across distributed systems
• Define and maintain the end-to-end product system architecture
• Ensure architectural alignment with business and operational goals, including fault tolerance, observability and maintainability
• Provide architectural oversight during Agile release planning, sprint execution and release readiness
• Prioritise development initiatives based on business value, technical feasibility and strategic alignment
• Lead governance of system architecture across hardware, embedded software, cloud-native services, network orchestration and edge computing
• Define and maintain architectural standards aligned to security and performance requirements
• Work closely with domain architects responsible for subsystem delivery to ensure seamless integration
• Oversee technical evaluations, interface definitions and integration strategies for third-party solutions

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field
• 12+ years’ experience in software development and systems architecture
• Strong understanding of embedded systems, networking and communication protocols
• Experience within satellite or aerospace domains highly desirable
• Experience with network management operations
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms
• Familiarity with cybersecurity principles
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (Capella advantageous)
• Excellent communication, leadership and stakeholder management skills

Why Apply?

• Influence the architecture of a complex global satellite communications network
• Work across space systems, embedded platforms and cloud-native infrastructure
• Operate at a strategic level within a long-term, high-visibility programme
• Join a multidisciplinary engineering environment solving technically challenging problems at scale

If you are an experienced system architect with a background in complex distributed systems and satellite communications, we would be keen to speak with you.

TT 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Communications Engineer to join an advanced avionics team working on cutting-edge spacecraft missions. This role will play a key part in the design, development, and verification of spacecraft communications subsystems, supporting complex missions from concept through to launch and operations.

You’ll take ownership of the communications subsystem, working across disciplines including systems engineering, Command & Data Handling (C&DH), procurement, and Assembly, Integration & Verification (AIV). This is a hands-on, senior-level role requiring both strong technical expertise and the confidence to lead within a multidisciplinary environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Own communications work packages, including subsystem design baseline and architecture, requirements management and VCD activities
• Develop, review, and maintain spacecraft data and RF link budgets
• Model and simulate space-to-ground communications links
• Select, procure, and manage suppliers for communications hardware.
• Perform antenna and multipath analysis, including interference and impingement assessments
• Support frequency licensing and ITU regulatory activities
• Support ground station selection and interface discussions with ground segment teams
• Plan and execute unit-level acceptance testing
• Generate verification and validation plans and test procedures for communications systems
• Manage resources, schedules, and cost estimates in line with applicable standards and regulations
• Mentor and support junior engineers within the communications team

Essential Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics, Communications, or a related discipline
• Strong experience defining and managing spacecraft communications requirements
• Proven experience developing and maintaining satellite link budgets
• Experience designing and developing spacecraft communications subsystems and architectures
• Hands-on experience with communications circuits and hardware testing
• Experience producing and executing communications V&V plans and procedures
• Knowledge of ITU frequency licensing constraints for space applications
• Eligible to work in the UK and Europe

Desirable Experience

• Broader understanding of overall satellite systems design
• Antenna design and RF propagation experience
• Detailed knowledge of communications link budget analysis
• Familiarity with ITU regulations and licensing processes

What’s on Offer

• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Optional 9/75 working pattern
• 25 days holiday, increasing with service (plus bank holidays)
• Life insurance and long-term sick pay
• Private healthcare (taxable benefit)
• Relocation support available
• Modern office and cleanroom facilities

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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Antenna Design Engineer to join an advanced R&D environment developing next-generation satellite ground terminal systems. This role sits at the heart of RF, microwave, and antenna engineering, contributing across the full product lifecycle, from early concept through to high-volume manufacturing.

You will play a key role in the design and development of gateway terminals and deployable flyaway systems operating across X, Ku, Ka, and Q/V bands. The position offers exposure to cutting-edge antenna reflector technology and the opportunity to contribute to future programmes, including defence-related systems.

As a Senior Antenna Design Engineer, you will take ownership of RF and antenna subsystem design, working closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver high-performance, production-ready solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Define RF and antenna design specifications based on system requirements and performance targets
• Design and develop RF/antenna subsystems, including antenna reflectors
• Perform electromagnetic simulation and analysis using industry-standard tools (e.g. CST, HFSS, CHAMP)
• Build and evaluate prototypes, optimizing performance against specifications
• Carry out RF measurements and verification using equipment such as VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators
• Support manufacturing with antenna performance verification and troubleshooting
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners throughout development
• Provide technical support for field issues and attend customer sites when required

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years’ relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 3+ years’ experience
• Strong background in RF, microwave, and antenna engineering
• Proven experience designing RF/antenna solutions from requirements through to validation
• Hands-on experience with electromagnetic simulation tools (e.g. HFSS, CST)
• Practical experience using RF test and measurement equipment
• Ability to work cross-functionally and resolve complex technical challenges
• Strong documentation and reporting skills

Why Apply?

• Work on advanced satellite communication systems at the forefront of RF technology
• Influence products from early design through to production
• Collaborate with experienced engineers in a highly technical R&D environment
• Contribute to both commercial and defence-related programmes

If you’re an experienced RF Engineer or Antenna Design Engineer looking to take on technically challenging work in satellite and antenna systems, this role offers a compelling next step.

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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Antenna Design Engineer to join an advanced R&D environment developing next-generation satellite ground terminal systems. This role sits at the heart of RF, microwave, and antenna engineering, contributing across the full product lifecycle, from early concept through to high-volume manufacturing.

You will play a key role in the design and development of gateway terminals and deployable flyaway systems operating across X, Ku, Ka, and Q/V bands. The position offers exposure to cutting-edge antenna reflector technology and the opportunity to contribute to future programmes, including defence-related systems.

As a Senior Antenna Design Engineer, you will take ownership of RF and antenna subsystem design, working closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver high-performance, production-ready solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Define RF and antenna design specifications based on system requirements and performance targets
• Design and develop RF/antenna subsystems, including antenna reflectors
• Perform electromagnetic simulation and analysis using industry-standard tools (e.g. CST, HFSS, CHAMP)
• Build and evaluate prototypes, optimizing performance against specifications
• Carry out RF measurements and verification using equipment such as VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators
• Support manufacturing with antenna performance verification and troubleshooting
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners throughout development
• Provide technical support for field issues and attend customer sites when required

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years’ relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 3+ years’ experience
• Strong background in RF, microwave, and antenna engineering
• Proven experience designing RF/antenna solutions from requirements through to validation
• Hands-on experience with electromagnetic simulation tools (e.g. HFSS, CST)
• Practical experience using RF test and measurement equipment
• Ability to work cross-functionally and resolve complex technical challenges
• Strong documentation and reporting skills

Why Apply?

• Work on advanced satellite communication systems at the forefront of RF technology
• Influence products from early design through to production
• Collaborate with experienced engineers in a highly technical R&D environment
• Contribute to both commercial and defence-related programmes

If you’re an experienced RF Engineer or Antenna Design Engineer looking to take on technically challenging work in satellite and antenna systems, this role offers a compelling next step.

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