Head of Engineering - Director of Engineering

Location

Rivière‑Saint‑Paul

About

North is a Canadian defence company delivering secure, multi‑domain C4 ISR capabilities that provide decision advantage in complex and contested environments. A wholly‑owned subsidiary of MDA Space, building on more than five decades of trusted Canadian defence delivery, North operates as a sovereign Canadian provider of mission‑critical C4 ISR systems, bringing disciplined prime‑contractor execution to defence and security programs.

Visit 49 North | An MDA Space Company.

North is rooted in the execution of large, complex, and mission‑critical programs developed within North. This legacy reflects a record of delivery where engineering rigour, operational reliability, and national trust are non‑negotiable.

North Defence strengthens Canada’s sovereign defence capability by delivering integrated mission systems and multi‑domain C4 ISR integration, enabling trusted Canadian and coalition operations, assured interoperability, and sustained readiness.

Job Description

The Director, Engineering is a catalyst leader and change agent for a rapidly growing Canadian defence system integrator.

It is expected that the Director will fully participate in business strategy and technology roadmap development, and then continuously align, improve, and modernize engineering practices to drive enhanced business performance, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction.

The Director will lead through a significant period of multiple program execution, as well as an organisational transition from programme‑based to programme‑product‑based design and development.

The Director will drive the adoption of next‑generation engineering tools, techniques, and procedures optimised for fixed‑price system design, development, integration, test and delivery of complex C4 ISR solutions to defence customers. The Director will also lead technical aspects of product definition, development, and launch, together with Product Managers and development teams.

It is essential that the incumbent must be a visionary, capable of charting a course for the technology base of the engineering organisation that not only meets current needs but also anticipates future trends and challenges.

They are dedicated to creating a world‑leading capability that continuously improves.

Responsibilities

• Engineering Process Governance
  • Assumes responsibility for establishing and maintaining functional standards, systems and policies, and ensures compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory rules and standards
• Engineering Strategy Ownership
  • Work closely with 49 North leadership team to understand the company’s business strategy and shape engineering capability and product offerings accordingly
• Innovation Leadership
  • Define the technology roadmap, lead technology development efforts, and continuously improve our technical solutions in order to meet customer requirements, budget, and schedule. This includes development and ownership of 49 North’s Intellectual Property portfolio
• Bid Solution Governance
  • Lead engineering discussions in bid development and review process to ensure proposed solution and costing aligns with customer priorities, competitive environment needs as well as the programme‑product‑based strategy. Work with Line of Business leaders to ensure (1) proposed solutions are aligned with the product baselines, (2) cost estimation is right, and (3) that we are costing the right things
• Design‑to‑Cost Leadership
  • Create an environment that challenges bid teams, programme teams and product development teams to continuously engage in design‑to‑cost approach. Encourage teams to perform “Make or Buy” decisions, in order to optimise cost/schedule while developing strategy for in‑house vs. outsource skillset
• Independent Review Teams
  • The Director of Engineering will chair independent technical, cost and schedule assessments to ensure the optimal technical solution is supported by accurate cost and schedule baselines, together with appropriate risk assessment and mitigation plans
• Customer Technical Interface
  • Represent 49 North’s Engineering capability in customer meetings & business development initiatives
• Continuous Improvement Leadership
  • Proactively identify…