Supervisor, Manufacturing Engineering

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 Position

The Supervisor, Manufacturing Engineering is a member of the leadership team and reports to the Manager, Production / Manufacturing Engineering and Facilities. The supervisor manages a section of a large size engineering department, through developing and maintaining a workforce with the key technical skills necessary to ensure proper execution and delivery of the company’s products and projects. The Supervisor will manage recruitment, development, engagement and retention, and succession planning within their team.

In addition, the incumbent will support the Manager, Production / Manufacturing Engineering and Facilities with other aspects of the full departmental activities such as technological roadmap development, continuous improvement, modernization of engineering practices, and customer satisfaction. They will support the adoption of next-generation engineering tools, techniques, and procedures to increase competitiveness in manufacturing.


Specific Tasks


Resource Management:

Recruits employees, assigns, directs and evaluates their work. Monitors and manages overall employee performance, conducts annual performance appraisals and sets individual objectives
Provides staffing expertise to support the demand of Programs, RD, and Business Development. Ensures that staffing supports the demand of current and future MDA programs
Develops staff to ensure necessary skill sets. Establishes and regularly updates succession plans for key skills to avoid single point failures and bottlenecks in resource allocation
Ensures group competency remains abreast of state of the art techniques in the respective engineering/manufacturing / support service disciplines
Ensures staff works in an environment fostering innovation and evolution to maximize their satisfaction within the constraints of the business, supporting career planning, providing regular feedbacks and celebrating successes
Oversees engineering facilities, processes, and tools required to support department activities and program needs
Identifies and manages facility conflicts between all programs for flight or development activities as appropriate to the department
Supports management of departmental overhead budget within allocation and provides forecasts to finance as required
Supports coordination of capital planning for the department. Proposes necessary capital investment items with proper financial justification and implements the procurement.
Ensures the proper application of the company’s collective agreements


Technical overview:

Evaluate and improve manufacturing processes to ensure high-quality products and efficient use of resources
Implement and support lean manufacturing techniques to reduce waste and increase productivity with cross functional teams
Supports internal and external audits and ensure corrective actions are implemented as required
Promotes a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) culture
Participates in or leads technical troubleshooting and problem solving


Process development, maintenance and application:

Ensures proper application and adherence to overall company policies and processes by staff in the department
Supports development and maintenance of departmental specific policies, processes, work instructions and standards and ensures they are available to, and followed by staff
Proposes and leads new initiatives, or participates in initiatives for business process improvement (BPI) to improve departmental or global efficiency
Acts as the area owner and ensures all Health Safety procedures and policies are adhered to and maintained


Front End of the Business:

Provides support and participate in proposal activities
Makes recommendations to the product development organisation for new products and RD initiatives in line with the company’s strategic direction
Supports and coordinates patent applications in conjunction with the product development organisation. Ensures that the company’s trade secrets and proprietary information is protected and handled securely
Performs other tasks as required such as; leading proposals at the front end of the business, managing small projects or parts thereof, providing support to subcontract management, participating in collective agreement negotiations


Work experience requirements

Engineering or similar degree in an appropriate discipline, Bachelors or higher
Minimum 5 years experience in the field of engineering / manufacturing preferably in the space industry or related area
Candidate must have demonstrated superior ability for people skills, conflict resolution and leadership skills
Career aspirations to managing teams of people in a dynamic environment
Experience in lean principles (VA/NVA, cycle times, lead times, VSM)
Experience in production and test layout design including ergonomics safety
Experience or interest in developing skills in resource management, negotiations, risk management techniques and financial reporting
Certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Project Management (PMP) is an asset


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).

We’re a dream team of purpose-driven, collaborative and passionate people, and we are constantly looking for others to join #TeamMDA to ignite new and innovative approaches to problem-solving that push us forward to improve life on and above Earth. If you’re excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we’ll take you there.

We have entered a new era of exploration and development, and MDA welcomes all who yearn to suit up and be part of it. An equal opportunity employer prizing diversity, integrity and collaboration, we are committed to growing MDA’s and Canada’s leadership in this next golden age.

MDA provides competitive compensation and benefits packages for its employees at all locations. As a team member of MDA, you and your qualified dependents are eligible to participate in a benefit plan that ensures a comprehensive level of protection through competitive health care including; extended healthcare and flexible drug plans, dental and vision benefits, disability income protection, life insurance, group retirement savings plans; and an employee and family assistance program.

MDA is proud to provide accommodation(s) during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodations, please indicate this on your application/cover letter and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.


The compensation range for this position is $+5,000 - $113,000 annually. The specific compensation offered will be based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. Read more