Software/Electrical Section Manager

BWXT Canada Ltd. (BWXT Canada) has over 60 years of expertise and experience in the design, manufacturing, commissioning and service of nuclear power generation equipment. This includes steam generators, nuclear fuel and fuel components, critical plant components, parts and related plant services. BWXT Canada’s subsidiary, BWXT Medical Ltd. (BWXT Medical) provides its customers, who conduct life-saving medical procedures for patients around the world, the benefit of decades of experience in the development, manufacturing, packaging and delivery of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, BWXT in Canada has approximately 1,800 employees at locations in Peterborough, Toronto, Arnprior, Port Elgin, Owen Sound, Kanata and Oakville, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. BWXT Canada is a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT). Follow us on Twitter @BWXT and learn more atwww.bwxt.com.

Welcome to BWXT
We believe in empowering our employees and cultivating a dynamic workplace that fosters growth and collaboration. Whether you’re an experienced professional or just starting your career, you'll find opportunities to challenge yourself, learn from seasoned experts, and contribute to nuclear innovation. We require a diverse range of skills to support our work in the markets that drive our business and welcome candidates from all backgrounds and life stages who are passionate about making a difference.

Position Overview:
As our Software/Electrical Section Manager you will provide leadership for the design, development, deployment and lifecycle management of software, firmware and electronic systems used in specialized tooling and nuclear field service applications.

The position is responsible for developing and advancing Field Services' capabilities in software-enabled tooling, embedded electronics and digital tools that improve the safety, quality, efficiency and execution of nuclear service work.

The Manager is also responsible for establishing and maintaining the engineering infrastructure, standards and processes required to manage software, firmware and electronic systems throughout their lifecycles, including development, configuration and revision control, release, deployment, support, maintenance and obsolescence. The role provides the technical and product support required to enable the sale, licensing and rental of Field Services software products to internal and external customers.

Location:

Kitchener, ON

Your Day to Day as our Software/Electrical Section Manager

• Plan and monitor resources and engineering activities to accomplish operational objectives, including completion of projects, development activities, proposals, estimates and technical support.
• Provide technical and managerial leadership for the development of:
  • Software applications and digital tools supporting nuclear field service activities, including tools for work execution, data collection, processing, visualization, reporting and decision support.
  • Software-enabled specialized tooling and equipment used to improve field execution, productivity, repeatability and quality.
  • Embedded software and firmware used within specialized service tooling.
  • Custom electronic assemblies, controller hardware and printed circuit boards used in specialized tooling.
  • Basic motorized and electromechanical tooling systems where software, firmware or electronic control is required, including hardware/software/firmware interfaces and system integration.
  • Develop and execute a technical strategy and capability roadmap for advancing software, firmware, electronics and modern software development practices within Field Services, with particular emphasis on reusable solutions that improve nuclear service execution.
  • Partner with Field Engineering, Design Engineering, Operations and site teams to identify recurring field challenges and develop reusable software, firmware and electronic solutions that improve outage execution, productivity, quality, repeatability and worker effectiveness.
  • Establish and maintain the Field Services software and electronic systems engineering framework, including development lifecycle, requirements, design, coding and electronic design standards, peer review, verification and validation, configuration management, revision control, release and deployment.
  • Establish and maintain the infrastructure and tools required to support software development and configuration management, including source repositories, development environments, build processes, issue tracking and release records.
  • Establish processes for lifecycle management of deployed software, firmware and electronic hardware, including product identification, supported configurations and revisions, defect management, patches and upgrades, component obsolescence and replacement compatibility, and customer support.
  • Ensure software, firmware and electronic hardware deployed to field equipment and customer environments are appropriately controlled, traceable and maintained at approved revisions.
  • Establish and maintain an inventory/catalogue of Field Services software products, firmware, electronic hardware and supported system configurations.
  • Establish a sustainable software and electronic systems support model, including technical ownership, support expectations, maintenance responsibilities and management of legacy applications and hardware.
  • Drive the adoption of modern software development practices and tools, including the effective use of artificial intelligence and large language model (LLM)-based development tools to improve software development productivity, quality, testing, documentation and maintainability.
  • Evaluate emerging software technologies and development practices and introduce those that can provide practical value to Field Services while maintaining appropriate engineering, cybersecurity, quality and configuration controls.
  • Promote user-centered software design practices to ensure Field Services applications are intuitive, efficient and practical for use in field environments, incorporating principles such as clear system feedback, intuitive controls, consistency, error prevention and recovery, and minimizing unnecessary user complexity.
  • Engage end users throughout development to understand field workflows, validate requirements and usability, and ensure software solutions address real operational needs.
  • Provide technical and product support to Business Operations, Project Controls and other stakeholders responsible for establishing and administering commercial models for Field Services software, including sale, licensing, rental and support arrangements.
  • Define and maintain the technical product information required to support commercialization, including software configurations, revisions, compatibility, deployment requirements, customer deliverables and support requirements.
  • Support tracking and management of software deployed or licensed to customers, including technical configuration, software revision and applicable support requirements.
  • Lead process change through goal setting, process enhancement and introduction of new technology to improve Field Services product development and deployment.
  • Take an active role in proposal development and review, including preparation of estimates, technical scopes and product demonstrations or presentations.
  • Provide technical direction and oversight of software, firmware and electronic design activities, including system integration, design verification, technical review and approval of engineering documentation, manufacturing drawings and specifications, bills of material, vendor technical interfaces, and acceptance of fabricated or procured electronic and control hardware, as applicable.
  • Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable processes, quality systems, contractual requirements, cybersecurity requirements and nuclear industry codes and standards.
  • Proactively identify technical and project risks, evaluate solutions and communicate issues and recommendations to the business.
  • Establish departmental plans, objectives and metrics covering product development, process improvement, technical capability, staff development, training, resource requirements and budgets.
  • Directly manage, recruit, develop, coach and retain engineering personnel, including work assignment, workload prioritization, performance management and succession planning, and build the technical capabilities required to support the future needs of Field Services.
  • Collaborate with other BWXT engineering organizations to leverage existing technology, standards, tools and technical expertise where appropriate.
  • Plan and provide engineering support for field deployment, commissioning, troubleshooting and emergent site issues associated with developed systems. Short-term travel to nuclear sites and customer facilities may be required.

Security Clearance:

This role requires the successful candidate to complete the security clearance process.  The security clearance process is conducted in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and may take up to 12 months to complete.  

Required Qualifications:

• Degree or diploma in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 10 years' experience in software, firmware, embedded systems, electronic product development or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience developing and delivering production-quality software products, with demonstrated understanding of software architecture, maintainability, usability, testing and lifecycle support.
• Experience with software development practices including:
  • Requirements definition and management.
  • Software architecture and design.
  • Source code and configuration management.
  • Version and revision control.
  • Software testing, verification and validation.
  • Release and deployment management.
  • Defect and issue tracking.
  • Software maintenance and lifecycle management.
  • Demonstrated understanding of user-centered software design and usability principles, including the ability to translate complex technical or operational workflows into intuitive software interfaces and user experiences.
  • Practical experience using artificial intelligence and large language model (LLM)-based development tools as part of modern software engineering workflows, including code generation, code review, testing, debugging, documentation and developer productivity.
  • Demonstrated ability to evaluate and adopt emerging software development technologies and practices while maintaining appropriate engineering rigor, security and configuration control.
  • Familiarity with modern software development architectures, frameworks, APIs, databases, source control, CI/CD practices and development environments.
  • Strong working knowledge of embedded systems, firmware, microcontrollers and custom electronic/PCB development, with sufficient technical depth to review, challenge and provide direction on multidisciplinary hardware/software/firmware development.
  • Experience developing, integrating or supporting software, firmware and electronic systems that interface with physical equipment, embedded systems or specialized tooling is considered an asset.
  • General understanding of motors, motor controls and electromechanical systems as they relate to specialized tooling is considered an asset.
  • Experience establishing software engineering standards, processes or development infrastructure is considered an asset.
  • Understanding of software and electronic hardware configuration management and Engineering Change Control concepts.
  • Experience supporting deployed software and electronic systems and managing multiple software, firmware or hardware revisions and customer configurations is considered an asset.
  • Familiarity with software licensing, product support or commercialization of software-based products is considered an asset.
  • Experience in nuclear services or another highly regulated/high-consequence industrial environment, with familiarity with applicable quality programs, codes and standards, is preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience managing and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams in developing and troubleshooting complex technical systems.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to engineering personnel, field personnel, management and customers.
  • Resource and workload management experience.
  • Familiarity with project schedules, estimating and financial metrics.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU: Ensuring the well-being of our employees is our priority and we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits for our employees and their families.

• Comprehensive Health Benefits – Including health, dental, vision, and disability coverage to keep you feeling your best.
• Secure Your Future – Defined Contribution Pension Plan and an optional Company-matched retirement savings plans (RRSP/TFSA/EPSP)
• Work-Life Balance – Flexible schedules and compressed workweek option available
• Help Grow Our Team – Earn generous referral bonuses with our two-tiered Employee Referral Program ($1,500 and $3,000!).
• Invest in Your Education – Up to $5,250 USD per year through our Educational Refund Plan.
• Professional Development – Gain access to training, certifications, and growth opportunities to advance your career.
• Your Wellness Matters – Enjoy gym membership discounts and access to mental health support programs.
• A Welcoming Workplace – Join a diverse, inclusive, and supportive culture that celebrates you.
• Fun & Connection – Engage in team-building activities organized by our Social Committee.

Ready to grow with us? Apply now and let’s build something amazing together!

BWXT confirms that the position represents a current vacancy within our organization. 

At BWXT, we are committed to a fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring process.  As part of our recruitment process, we use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with screening and evaluating applicants.  These tools support our efforts to make consistent and equitable hiring decisions.  

The base salary range for this position in Ontario (CA-ON) at the start of employment is expected to be between $116,000 and $162,000 per year. However, the base salary offered is based on local job market factors and may vary further depending on factors specific to the selected job candidate, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to these considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, such as an annual cash incentive in addition to a full range of medical, retirement, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided at such time the selected job candidate receives an offer of employment.

Learn more about how BWXT employs nuclear technology to solve some of the world’s most important problems. BWXT’s capabilities video showcases our innovation in commercial nuclear power, addressing climate change, as well as our advanced nuclear medicine products treating patients around the world. We are People Strong. Innovation Driven. 

BWXT Canada Ltd. embraces diversity of thought, values individuality, encourages new perspectives and provides equal opportunity in employment for all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability, or any other category protected by provincial law. BWXT Canada is committed to fostering an accessible, fair, and inclusive environment where all employees are able to access the recruitment process and employment related information while being respected and supported. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please advise us as soon as possible so appropriate arrangements can be made. If you require information in a format that is accessible to you, please contact Human Resources. 

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