Real job — pulled straight from Kepler Communications’s careers page · Verified August 19, 2026 · No reposts.
Job description
Kepler Communications is hiring a Program Chief Engineer — a full-time, based in Toronto, ON role. Apply directly on Kepler Communications's careers page below.
Program Chief Engineer
Team: Systems
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Commitment: Full-time Regular
Workplace Type: onsite
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.
As the Program Chief Engineer, you are the senior technical authority for the spacecraft program and the single point of technical accountability for mission success. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Satellite Systems, you provide technical leadership across all engineering disciplines to ensure the spacecraft is designed, built, verified, and operated as an integrated system. You establish the technical direction, drive engineering execution, make timely decisions, conduct rigorous technical reviews, and communicate effectively with engineering teams, executive leadership, customers, and suppliers.
The Chief Engineer is accountable for the overall technical success of the mission. You are responsible for maintaining technical integrity, driving engineering progress, ensuring design maturity, balancing performance, reliability, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and mission risk, and delivering flight-ready spacecraft that enable successful mission execution.
Key Responsibilities:
- Please note: Though this role provides a Hybrid flexibility, it will require an on-site work presence at Kepler's Toronto HQ
- Provide technical leadership across Systems, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, RF, GNC, Payload, AIT, Manufacturing, Operations, and Product Assurance
- Drive engineering convergence toward a technically coherent spacecraft
- Ensure engineering activities remain aligned with mission objectives
- Drive engineering progress and maintain technical momentum
- Identify and remove technical roadblocks
- Ensure timely technical decision-making and accountability across engineering disciplines
- Lead rigorous technical reviews across all spacecraft subsystems
- Challenge assumptions, analyses, margins, interfaces, and verification evidence
- Lead design reviews, anomaly reviews, and readiness reviews
- Make timely, evidence-based technical decisions
- Balance performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, reliability, and mission risk
- Remove technical barriers or blockers to maintain engineering momentum
- Communicate technical direction clearly and consistently across the engineering organization
- Translate complex technical issues into concise recommendations for executive leadership
- Represent Engineering during customer reviews, supplier meetings, executive briefings, and governance boards
- Ensure decisions, assumptions, risks, and actions are clearly documented and communicated
- Build alignment across Engineering, Program Management, Product Assurance, Manufacturing, Operations, and executive leadership
- Mentor senior engineers and future technical leaders
- Continuously raise the standard of technical rigor, engineering reviews, and engineering excellence
- Drive continuous improvement, platform standardization, and lessons learned
Required Skills & Qualifications:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline
- 15+ years of experience developing complex spacecraft or aerospace systems
- Experience serving as the technical authority or senior technical leader for at least one spacecraft development program
- Extensive knowledge of spacecraft architecture, integration, verification, manufacturing, qualification, launch, and mission operations
- Exceptional technical judgment, communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills
Bonus Points:
- Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, or equivalent technical leadership experience
- Constellation or multi-spacecraft program experience
- Experience across multiple spacecraft disciplines
- Mission assurance, Integration and test campaign, launch campaign, and on-orbit operations experience
- Experience driving engineering standardization and AI-enabled engineering workflows
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Frequently asked questions
What skills are required for Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications?
The required skills for Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications include: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, AI.
What is the seniority level for Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications?
Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications is a Senior / Staff / Principal level position.
How do I apply for Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications?
You can view the full description and apply for Program Chief Engineer at Kepler Communications on EchoJobs: https://echojobs.io/job/kepler-communications-program-chief-engineer-rm311.