Engineering Student, FPGA - Kanata - Summer 2026 (12-16 months)

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 global MDA Space team of more than 3,800 space experts 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.

We’re on the hunt for an Electrical or Computer Engineering Student to join the FPGA team in the Robotics & Space Operations Division at our Kanata office.

Overall the successful candidate would be treated similar to a new graduate joining our company, where tasks will be assigned relative to the level of schooling and experience achieved to date. This is an 12 or 16 month Co-Op opportunity starting in May 2026. 

As our FPGA Student, you will be a member of the FPGA team and be developing and testing and help integrate FPGA designs on the Gateway External Robotics System (GERS) program.  The GERS program provides sensors and support systems as part of the Canadarm3 contribution to the Lunar Gateway.

Responsibilities:

• Aid in integration tasks from developing scripts for lab testing to working with spaceworthy hardware and software to validate that the design is working correctly.


• Implement specific FPGA blocks as directed by senior developers (range of new development, bug fixes, etc.)


• Responsible for developing test cases for functional testing.


• Documenting design and verification work as well as aiding in the development of any control manuals or interface documents.

Qualifications:

• Be enrolled in a Computer or Electrical Engineering, or an equivalent program that covers VLSI topics.


• Proficient in Verilog, System Verilog or VHDL


• Strong team player


• Be able to work independently.


• Strong oral and written communication.

Desirable Skills:

• Prior internships related to FPGA or ASIC design.


• Demonstratable projects utilizing an FPGA design flow.


• Familiar with Python, TCL, Make, Git, and/or Jira.


• Familiar with object-oriented programming for FPGA verification would be 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).

MDA Ltd. 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 $25 - $28 hourly.