Uncrewed Aerial Systems Software Developer
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Job Summary
Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women Indigenous Peoples* (First Nations Inuit and Métis) persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.
* The Employment Equity Act which is under review uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.
Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.
City: Mirabel (Montreal temporarily)
OrganizationalUnit:Aerospace
Classification:CS-2
Tenure:Term
Duration: until 31 March 2028
Language Requirements:English or French
Work arrangements:
- Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements this position may be eligible for a limited hybrid work arrangement (combination of working onsite and telework).
At the NRC we recognize that Indigenous candidates may have important connections to their communities and you may be eligible for an exception to this work arrangement. Alternative work arrangements may also be considered to accommodate candidates as required. To learn more about these options please contact the NRC Hiring team using the contact information below.
Discover the possible
Anything is possible at the NRC named in 2025 one of Canadas Top Employers for Young People Top Employer in the National Capital Region and Forbes Canadas Best Employers!
As Canadas largest research and innovation organization our world-renowned research pushes the boundaries of science and engineering to make the impossible possible. Every day we explore new ideas through innovative research and help companies discover possibilities that impact Canadas future and the world.
At the NRC youll also discover new possibilities. Our supportive workplace fosters a culture of creativity welcoming fresh perspectives and innovation at all levels. We value teamwork. Youll collaborate across multiple fields and with the brightest minds to find creative solutions. Most importantly youll discover whats possible within you as you grow make valuable contributions and progress in your professional journey. From ground-breaking discoveries to a life-changing career discover your possible at the NRC.
Defence Industrial Strategy
The NRC has an important role within the Government of Canadas Defence Industrial Strategy accelerating research and innovation and helping Canadian businesses develop leading-edge technologies for civilian and military use.
With expertise across fields such as transportation quantum science medical countermeasures and advanced manufacturing the NRC is hiring to drive the development of national sovereign defence capabilities. The following role will support the NRCs contributions to defence priorities.
The role
We are looking for one (1) Highly skilled software developer with experience supporting the development integration and maintenance of software systems for to support our research on UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) technologies. The successful candidate will contribute to software tools web-based applications data-management systems simulation interfaces and operator-facing systems used in research testing and demonstration environments. Experience with drones UAS software robotics aerial robotics and field-robotics support would be considered an asset. This individual would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity Excellence Respect and Creativity.
This position is part of the NRC Aerospace Research Centres Drone and Flight Autonomy Lab which supports applied research and technology development in UAS and C-UAS systems. The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team of researchers engineers software developers technical staff and industry and government partners to develop integrate test and validate software capabilities for drone and C-UAS systems in laboratory simulation and field-test environments.
The UAS/C-UAS Lab provides an applied and instrumented environment for the implementation integration and validation of drone and Counter-UAS technologies. The laboratory supports research and applied technology development spanning UAS autonomy C-UAS detection and monitoring sensor integration operator-facing software simulation tools data-management systems and field-deployable UAS capabilities.
Working with other members of the team the software developer will carry out:
- Software Design and Development: Design develop improve test and maintain software systems in support of UAS research simulation integration and demonstration activities. This includes in-house software tools web-based applications data-management systems visualization interfaces and operator-facing applications.
- Work with our clients to port and our software to their existing network and interface with their software and hardware systems.
- Software Integration: Integrate commercial open-source and in-house software with simulation environments sensors data sources databases communication interfaces logging tools and research facility systems. Support software integration activities required for laboratory simulation and field-test environments.
- Field Deployment and Demonstration Support: Participate in laboratory simulation software-in-the-loop hardware-in-the-loop field-test and demonstration activities in support of C-UAS and UAS software systems. Deliver and deploy software solutions to support research projects program activities and client needs.
Screening criteria
Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:
Education
Masters degree with minimum of 1 year in Software Engineering Computer Science Electrical/Computer Engineering or a closely related engineering or applied science discipline is required.
Education equivalency of:
- A Bachelors degree in Software Engineering Computer Science Electrical/Computer Engineering with minimum of 3 years experience in a field closely related to the position.
- A degree in another related field may be considered if combined with significant and relevant experience in software development software integration software architecture web-based applications simulation systems or software support for UAS C-UAS autonomous systems or similar research and engineering environments.
For information oncertificates and diplomas issued abroad please see Degree equivalency
Experience
Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria:
- Significant experience designing developing testing maintaining and documenting software applications and tools using at least two programming languages among Python JavaScript/TypeScript and C/C including embedded C programming with experience building web applications APIs databases visualization interfaces and operator-facing software systems.
- Experience with software architecture and design including requirements analysis modular design interface definition architecture diagrams and related technical documentation.
- Experience with collaborative software development workflows and software engineering practices including Git-based version control branching merge requests code review issue tracking testing documentation and CI/CD or automated build and deployment practices.
- Experience integrating software with external systems data sources sensors simulation tools databases and communication interfaces in research or engineering environments.
- Experience with UAS software ecosystems ROS 2 PX4 ArduPilot MAVLink Gazebo software-in-the-loop simulation hardware-in-the-loop workflows ground-control software or drone-related software integration.
- Experience with HPC edge computing or hardware acceleration technologies including platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson CUDA FPGAs GPUs or similar computing architectures.
The following criteria would be considered strong assets:
- Experience deploying software to real robotic systems such as UAVs UGVs legged robots autonomous vessels or other mobile robotic platforms would be considered an asset.
- Experience with messaging and communication technologies for real-time or distributed systems such as DDS Zenoh ZeroMQ MQTT or similar frameworks would be considered a strong asset.
*Significant refers to between 2 to 6 years.
Condition of employment
Secret clearance
A thorough security clearance process will be applied.
For a Secret Clearance verification of background information over a period of 10 years is required. Individuals must have lived in Canada for a sufficient period of time to enable the security screening process.
Language requirements
English or French
Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests
Assessment criteria
Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
Technical competencies
- Demonstrated ability to design implement debug test and maintain software applications in C and Python with experience in JavaScript/TypeScript for web-based applications dashboards or client/server systems;
- Ability to develop reliable maintainable and reusable software components for research simulation integration or operational software systems;
- Ability to design and document software architectures including system architecture diagrams component diagrams interface diagrams data-flow diagrams deployment diagrams and software workflows;
- Ability to translate research engineering and operational requirements into software specifications implementation plans and testable software deliverables.
- Knowledge of data management logging visualization analysis and reporting workflows for laboratory simulation field-test or demonstration environments.
- Strong knowledge of Linux-based software development environments including scripting configuration debugging troubleshooting build systems and deployment;
- Knowledge of software testing integration testing automated build practices CI/CD workflows packaging release management and deployment of software components;
- Knowledge of Docker or equivalent containerized environments is considered an asset.
Behavioural competencies
- Technology support - Results orientation (Level 2)
- Technology support - Self-knowing and self-development (Level 2)
- Technology support - Communication (Level 2)
- Technology support - Conceptual and analytical ability (Level 2)
Competency Profile(s)
For this position the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile(s):Technology Support
View all competency profiles
Compensation
From $86503to $108068per annum.
NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including a robust pension plan comprehensive health and dental coverage disability and life insurance office closure at the end of December and additional supports to enhance your well-being throughout your career and beyond.
Notes
- In 2025 the NRC was chosen as one of Canadas Top Employers for Young People a National Capital Region Top Employerand Forbes Canadas Best Employer.
- Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRCs directives.
- A pre-qualified listmay be established for similar positions for a one year period.
- Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
- The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
- We thank all those who apply however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Please direct your questions with therequisition number (25589) to:
Telephone:
Closing Date: 15 July 2026- 23:59 Eastern Time
For more information on career tools and other resources check outCareer tools and resources
*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC please apply through the SuccessFactors Careers module from your NRC computer.
Required Experience:
IC
About Company
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is one of Canada’s key security and intelligence organizations. We work tirelessly to protect Canada and Canadians against threats by providing valuable foreign signals intelligence. We also develop and provide sophisticated and advance ... View more
