Senior ISTAR Software Engineer

Build bold. Deliver impact. Win together.

At General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada, we’re not just engineering technology — we’re shaping the future of defence and security. Our teams design and deliver advanced, mission‑critical solutions that enhance national security, strengthen communities, and protect the people we serve.

If you’re looking for meaningful work that contributes to a safer, more secure world, you’ll find purpose here. Every day, your skills will directly impact programs that matter.

Job Description

The LC4ISR ISTAR team is seeking a working level Software Engineer to support delivery of critical capabilities for the Canadian Army. You will be working with a multidisciplinary engineering team to deliver Intelligence, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition and Surveillance capabilities into a fully integrated tactical network, capable of providing flexible, multi‑role and combat‑capable communications, command and control.

You will be part of an agile development team, responsible for designing, implementing and verifying software components for ISTAR commanders and operators. This role requires on‑site work at our Ottawa office and customer locations within the National Capital Region, with flexibility to work remotely when necessary. Occasional travel may be required to support customer field trials.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to SDK design: define clean interfaces, document contracts, and ensure third‑party integrators can consume your APIs predictably
• Build and maintain J2EE enterprise data sharing pipelines that move sensor‑derived and human reported intelligence across organizational and coalition boundaries
• Develop and maintain rich Java desktop client applications that consume and present sensor‑derived and human‑reported data sources
• Write clean, testable, maintainable code against established coding standards — and enforce those standards in peer code reviews
• Integrate communication protocols and message exchange patterns (ZeroMQ, REST, protobuf, JSON) between sensors and command‑and‑control subsystems
• Participate in all Agile processes: sprint planning, backlog refinement, stand‑ups, reviews, and retrospectives
• Develop and execute unit, integration, and system‑level tests; support customer field trials and verification events
• Identify, document, and resolve defects across the full product lifecycle
• Provide technical mentorship to junior team members.

Qualifications

• Must have a technical Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or an equivalent related field.
• 5–8 years of professional software development experience, with a majority in Java (Java 8+; Java 17 preferred)
• Demonstrated experience building desktop or embedded Java applications (not exclusively web/microservices)
• Solid command of Java 2EE/Jakarta EE fundamentals: lifecycle management, dependency injection, concurrency, and JMS or equivalent messaging
• Practical experience with MVVM or MVC in a Java desktop context (JavaFX, Swing, or equivalent)
• Candidates with a Spring Framework or Java MVC background are considered provided they can demonstrate depth in backend class decomposition, layered architecture design, and domain modelling
• Experience designing or consuming SDKs or integration APIs, able to reason about interface stability, versioning, and backward compatibility
• Working knowledge of message bus patterns and at least one broker technology (ZeroMQ, ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ)
• Experience with data serialization formats and communication protocols (protobuf, JSON, REST)
• Comfort in an Agile/Scrum environment: owned story‑point commitments, contributed to planning, and hit sprint goals
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills in a multithreaded environment
• Clear written and verbal communication, write a design doc and present a trade‑off to a non‑technical stakeholder

What Makes You Stand Out

• Familiarity with Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for sensor or hardware systems
• Experience with object‑oriented design patterns applied to integration or plugin architectures
• Experience mentoring or leading a small technical workstream

Security Requirements

It is a requirement that General Dynamics Mission Systems‑Canada be registered with the Canadian Controlled Goods program and that all of its workforce be security assessed. Successful applicants must meet all applicable security requirements, including but not limited to the ability to obtain and maintain a Canadian government security clearance. Applicants may be required to meet additional security requirements in order to gain access to technical data, classified areas or information that is subject to international regulations. You must be eligible to work in Canada.

Benefits

What We Offer

The hiring range for this position is $85,000 to $100,000 CAD annual.

Our benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your eligible dependents, from day one of employment at no cost to you.
  • Flexible benefit options available (including HCSA).
  • Emergency medical travel insurance.
  • 24/7 virtual health care services.
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) – counselling, life coaching, lifestyle change support, and financial planning.
• Onsite fitness facilities & employee resource groups.
• Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP) with employer contributions after 3 months of service.
  • Access to financial advisors for investment advice and comprehensive financial planning.
  • Voluntary Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) accessible from day one.
• Flexible time away to rest and renew with vacation, holidays, vacation purchase plan and parental leaves (with top up options).
  • Sick leave and disability programs.
• Grow your career your way with free access to a learning platform offering a wide range of courses and resources.
  • Educational Assistance Program to support formal learning.
  • Self‑directed mentoring opportunities.
  • Reimbursement for professional and industry‑related memberships and dues.
• Employee discounts on travel, home and auto insurance, as well as services and activities.
  • Free onsite parking.
  • Annual scholarship program for children of GD employees.
  • Employee social clubs and recreational activities.

Accommodation

If you require accommodation during any stage of the application process, please contact Human Resources via [emailprotected]