Engineering Student, Electrical - Kanata - Winter 2024

For those who dream of advancing our space in the Universe and on Earth, we’ll take you there.

Serving the world from our Canadian home and our global offices, MDA is an international space mission partner and robotics & space operations, satellite systems, and geo-intelligence pioneer with a 50-year story of firsts on and above the Earth. Today, we're leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies, enhanced Earth observation, communication in a hyper-connected world, and more.

We’re fueled by a pioneering spirit that carries us beyond. And together we enable highly skilled people to continually push boundaries and tackle big challenges requiring solutions that endure and inspire.

As the leading global independent commercial supplier of antennas, payloads, and electronics for communication and radar satellites, our team has successfully contributed to hundreds of missions in the past 60 years. With an extensive heritage in a wide range of solutions delivered to customers globally, our Satellite Systems team continues to grow and evolve on the ground and in the stars.

Position:

We’re on the hunt for a talented Engineering Co-op Student with a passion for critical thinking to join the Electrical team at our MDA-Kanata location for 8 – 12 months starting in January 2024.

Our co-op students are integral members of our team and work side by side experienced staff learning about the industry, our technology, and helping to solve tough, critical problems. We take pride in the learning opportunities we provide and we are thrilled to see many students return to MDA after graduation to start their careers.

**

Project Description:**

A student in the Electrical Engineering team can expect to be involved in a variety of space based sensor or camera systems. This may included Mars Rovers, the Lunar Gateway, the International Space Station, and interplanetary spacecraft. One specific such project may be the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, whose profile relates to the Vertical Descent Phase (VDP) in which MDA’s Laser Range Finder (LRF) will be operated. It is understood that the spacecraft will undergo a number of changes in velocity and perform one or more maneuvers as Phobos is approached for a given landing operation. The LRF will be used, during this phase, to provide accurate and precise altimetry. The LRF must survive launch, transit to Mars and operation at Phobos, which demands confidence in the unit’s performance and reliability under the harsh environments of interplanetary space.

Responsibilities:

Main responsibilities would include:

• Contribute to the research, development, and manufacture of space flight quality circuit card assemblies
• Execution of circuit simulations, schematic capture drawing, component sourcing, cable drawing creation, derating analysis, worst case analysis, radiation analysis, FMECA assessment, lab testing of circuits, test procedure planning, EMC compliance planning, presentation of design expectations/results, and participation in design reviews
• Assist in new product engineering and design activities as well as interaction with mechanical and software engineer groups
• Circuit debug and acceptance test procedure execution in the lab
• Assist with FPGA test bench preparation and FPGA verification activities
• Assisting full-time engineering group members with their project assignments
• Completion of small projects and assignments of various degrees of complexity, ranging from electronic design to test environment programming and documentation

**

Qualifications:**

Candidates must have the following knowledge, experience, and skills:

• Engineering Student, in Electrical Discipline
• Undergraduate level, 2nd or 3rd Year complete
• Knowledge of electronic circuits and principles
• Proficient in the use of MS Office (Excel and Word) and have an aptitude for quickly learning other company specific software
• Self-starter with a strong work ethic
• Must be willing to work in a hands-on environment
• Must have strong time management skills
• Good communication, organization, and documentation skills

**

Desirable Skills:**

• Working knowledge of Python
• Desirable knowledge/experience includes familiarity with Visio, Orcad, Allegro, LTpice, or similar simulation tools

Comments/Special Considerations:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

MDA is an equal opportunity employer prizing diversity and inclusion. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity. If you require assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please feel free to notify us.