LEO Operations Research Specialist

Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecommunications, corporate and government customers for over 50 years. Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of the largest and most successful global satellite operators.

Telesat Lightspeed, our revolutionary Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, scheduled to begin service in 2027, will revolutionize global broadband connectivity for enterprise users by delivering a combination of high capacity, security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and fiber-like speeds. Telesat is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices and facilities around the world.

The company’s state-of-the-art fleet consists of 15 GEO satellites, the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1 and one LEO 3 demonstration satellite. For more information, follow Telesat on X and LinkedIn or visit www.telesat.com

Telesat believes in the power of collaboration and the value of in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office Tuesday - Thursday, leaving Monday and Friday for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters brainstorming, problem-solving, and trusted relationships and allows our employees to come together three days a week to collaborate, innovate and thrive!

The System Modeling team develops and maintains state-of-the-art computer models of the Lightspeed constellation end-to-end system, covering several key aspects such as resource allocation mechanisms, regulatory compliance and coordination mechanisms, satellite payload power consumption management, resource utilization efficiency and spectrum management. We are seeking an experienced and skilled LEO Operations Research Specialist to join our team. As a LEO Operations Research Specialist, you will use your expertise to formulate, implement and solve complex and challenging optimization problems within the Lightspeed System Model to achieve a high level of efficiency in Lightspeed constellation operations.

Main Responsibilities

• Apply optimization expertise to properly formulate optimization problems and deploy them in the Telesat Lightspeed System Model, using proper solver parameters, to achieve large improvements in performance and run time and improve Lightspeed operations efficiency
• Drive the optimization methodologies used in Lightspeed analysis and system operations
• Devise new formulations in support of new features, constraints and objectives introduced to the System Model, with the goal of maximizing performance and minimizing runtime
• Apply mathematical optimization techniques such as Linear Programming and Mixed Integer Programming to design near optimal solvers to be used in system engineering and operations software
• Perform objective trade-offs of algorithms and formulations
• Participate in System Model re-structuring toward overall improvements in performance and maintainability, accounting for operations research best practices
• Closely collaborate with other team engineers developing the System Model
• Interface with other teams to successfully integrate the System Model into production business applications as required
• Contribute to the design and development of key aspects such as end-to-end communication, resource allocation mechanisms, network entry mechanism, network element management systems, service availability, EPFD compliance and coordination mechanisms, satellite payload power consumption management, resource utilization efficiency, spectrum management, user terminal type integration, and concepts of operation.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to system engineers in regards to operations research best practices
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and trends in the operations research industry, and contribute innovative ideas to design and operation of the Lightspeed constellation system.
• Create and maintain high-quality documentation as required.
• Collaborate with external partners, vendors, and stakeholders as required to ensure project success.

Education and Experience Required

• Master's or Ph.D. degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics or a related field
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience for this role
• Proficiency in using commercial solvers like Cplex, Gurobi, or Fico Xpress, or non-commercial solvers like Coin-OR or SCIP.
• Strong background in optimization techniques to solve Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) problems.
• Experience with programming in languages such as Matlab, Python, Java, C or C++
• Experience in applying Operations Research toward solving business problems
• Experience with space systems is a plus

Specialized Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong problem solving and analytical skills
• Creative problem-solver with thorough attention to detail.
• Highly collaborative team-player who can quickly earn the confidence of co-workers and teammates.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with management, engineering teams and partners / suppliers.
• Experience with business considerations and practical limitations related to system design and implementation.
• Ability to prioritize opportunities, needs and resources.
• Fluent in English, written and oral. French is an asset.




Equipment Used
• Computers running Windows and Linux

Decision Making and Supervision

• In this role, the incumbent will issue recommendations and have influence on the Lightspeed system design.
• This role has no direct reports.

The successful candidate must be able to work in Canada and obtain a Reliability Clearance

At Telesat, we take pride in being an equal opportunity employer that values equality in the workplace. We are committed to providing the best candidate experience possible including any required accommodations at every stage of our interview process. All qualified applicants that have been selected for an interview that require accommodations, are advised to inform the Telesat Talent team accordingly. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential.