Chief Architect

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX:

MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure.

The MDA Space team of more than 3,000 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one‑of‑a‑kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide‑eyed wonder that’s been in our DNA since day one.

For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we’ll take you there.

The Chief Architect, Geointelligence leads the Chief Architect Office that is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive technology roadmap to drive business growth, analyzing market needs, and overseeing R&D to deliver strategic long‑term plans for earth and space observation platforms, data and services. The role includes leading the Technology Strategy group and IP Management function with close collaboration with the New Business team to support business capture, assess markets, and enhance product competitiveness.

This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and leadership skills to drive innovation, collaboration, and growth across the organization.

• In cooperation with Business Development, analyze market needs, trends, and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth and innovation
• Develop and execute a comprehensive product and technology roadmap that aligns with the company's overall business strategy and goals
• Oversees Product Management who builds out the Chief Architect’s vision for product roadmap and specifications
• Develop and implement IP strategy, including establishing technology and competitive landscapes as well as filing strategies.
• Manage business area IP portfolio from invention creation, IP Steering Committee throught to patent filing, prosecution and maintenance, ensuring the protection of current and future technology development
• Provide guidance on non‑standard IP terms for customer contracts and IP rights assertion issues with customers and competitors.
• Manage development, security, and operations (Dev Sec Ops ) for software development life cycles throughout business area programs and products
• Participate in capture and proposal phases to develop conceptual solutions and assess their feasibility
• Lead the development of deliverable system technical baselines for bids, focusing on maximizing common elements and minimizing custom development
• Provide direction to Product Management to decompose deliverable system‑level capabilities into common element performance requirements and technical baseline, and configuration control common element technical baselines
• Provide direction to Product Management to collect, schedule, establish funding for, and insert product improvements ahead of customer need
• Oversee R&D efforts to ensure the development of innovative, high‑quality products that meet customer needs and stay ahead of the competition
• Oversee the creation of business cases for new common element early research and development to TRL6, including make/buy decisions
• Hand off the as‑bid technical baseline to newly awarded program team, providing introductions to customers and ensuring a smooth transition
• Collaborate with Customer Program/Product Managers to ensure alignment with customer needs and expectations
• Acts as main internal customer for MDA Products, with decision rights over whether a new variant of a product is acceptable
• Supports the Program Manager in managing customer expectations and negotiating mutually beneficial solutions that meet product requirements and customer needs
• Assists the Program Manager in maintaining product integrity by ensuring all changes are formally approved by the Product Manager and Chief Architect office, guaranteeing that only authorized modifications…