Manager - mechanical design/mechanical engineering

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space 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 3,800 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. For more information, visit About You Are you an experienced people leader with a strong background in mechanical design? Do you have a passion for building high‑performing teams and bridging the gap between innovation and practicality across diverse engineering projects? If so, we want you to join our Brampton team. Who We're Looking For The Manager, Mechanical Design – Mechanical Engineering is a member of the engineering leadership team and reports to the Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering. This role leads a large Design Office team and is accountable for oversight of the end‑to‑end design lifecycle—from concept through design release, manufacture, qualification, delivery, and support of mission operations. Scope includes design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA), mechanism design and Design Office execution. The Manager supports the Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering in shaping department and corporate strategic planning cycles. The role continuously aligns, improves, and modernizes engineering practices to improve business performance, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction. The Manager oversees recruitment, retention, development, and succession planning for the Design Office team, and champions the adoption of next‑generation design tools, techniques, and procedures. This role drives the development and implementation of scalable processes and best practices to ensure adherence to high design standards for product delivery. This role is accountable for the mechanical design function, including design and detailing. The Design Office delivers custom space robotics systems from concept to final product, providing designers with clear technical direction and standards while promoting morale, quality, creativity, and teamwork. Responsibilities Strategic Direction and Planning. Set direction and strategy for the mechanical design teams in alignment with department objectives. Contribute to corporate and departmental planning cycles and translate strategy into actionable execution plans. Engineering Process and Tools. Establish, standardize, and modernize Design Office processes, standards, and toolsets (e.g., CAD/PDM, drawing release, configuration management) to optimize quality, schedule, and cost performance in alignment with business needs. Department Processes and Delivery. Establish and implement Mechanical Design department processes to ensure business objectives and operational needs are met, including scope, price, quality, and delivery targets. Design Quality and Manufacturability. Monitor and manage mechanical design and detailing outputs to ensure suitability for machining operations, ease of build, and serviceability. Drive design‑for‑manufacture improvements and resolve issues collaboratively with stakeholders. Bid / Solution Validation. Validate costed technical solutions in proposals by assessing design approach, scope sufficiency, risk management, cost‑effectiveness, and resource availability. Partner with program management, production, business development, and bids & proposals to define specifications, assumptions, and execution plans. Risk Management and Problem Resolution. Proactively identify and address operational and delivery risks, remove roadblocks, and ensure timely issue resolution for downstream stakeholders and inquiries. Independent Review Team. Independently audit and assess technical risk on planned program work and work‑in‑progress through the program lifecycle. Support Engineering Review Teams in identifying mitigations and workarounds and lead design reviews as required. Engineering Resource Management. Recruit, onboard, assign, coach, and evaluate team members. Develop training and mentoring plans; establish and refresh succession plans for key skills to reduce single‑point dependencies and resource bottlenecks. Engineering Resource Facilitation. Provide leadership and staffing expertise to support program execution, R&D, and business development. Oversee capacity and workforce planning to ensure staffing plans meet current demand, anticipate future program needs, and optimize team productivity. Cross‑functional Collaboration. Strengthen collaboratio