Director of Operations in Markham

NordSpace is a Canadian startup with the mission to advance life on Earth, from space. NordSpace is committed to extremely rapid innovation and development of the most ambitious aerospace projects with the most ambitious team. With divisions spanning everything from space robotics to satellites to rockets, NordSpace is driven to bring space closer to Earth and inspire generations of space explorers.

As Director of Operations, you will own the operational backbone that every NordSpace programme depends on: supply chain and procurement, logistics, facilities across headquarters, test site and launch site, information technology, health, safety and environment, and physical and data security. You will provide the infrastructure, material, systems, and safeguards that power the NordSpace team. You will build and grow your team where the company needs it most, hiring ahead of demand where a gap would constrain a programme, and developing the leaders and structure required to support NordSpace’s goals as it scales.

Core Responsibilities:

• Serve as the single point of accountability to the Senior Leadership Team for company-wide operational readiness, capacity, and constraint.
• Own the allocation of shared operational capacity between the Launch and Space Systems programmes, including facilities, test infrastructure, logistics, and IT.
• Translate program roadmaps and customer commitments into forward operational plans, and give leadership honest early warning how infrastructure, material, or site readiness needs to improve to meet company requirements.
• Supply operational inputs to VP Finance & Operations for company budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning, and build the business cases behind facility expansion and capital equipment.
• Own the enterprise operational risk register and drive mitigation of the constraints most likely to threaten schedule, safety, security, or cost.
• Build, structure, and develop the operations organization, with accountability for hiring, onboarding, performance management, and leadership development.

Facilities & Multi-Site Operations:

• Own facility management staff across headquarters, test site, and launch site, including maintenance, utilities, grounds, site services, and lifecycle planning for buildings and fixed infrastructure.
• Maintain test and launch site infrastructure in a state of readiness, managing preventive maintenance, calibration, certification, and equipment replacement against programme schedules.
• Lead facility expansion and capital projects from requirements definition through contractor selection, construction oversight, commissioning, and handover.
• Manage site permitting, environmental compliance, and municipal and landowner relationships.

Security and Controlled Goods Program:

• Own physical security across headquarters, test site, and launch site, including access control, surveillance, visitor and contractor management, and protection of controlled hardware.
• Register and maintain standing as a Designated Official with Public Services and Procurement Canada and administer the Controlled Goods Programme.
• Execute operational compliance, including Export Control List classification support, permit and licence administration, controlled goods handling, and the handling requirements attaching to US-origin ITAR or EAR content.

Qualifications:

• Ten or more years of progressive operations experience in aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing or comparable high-reliability, safety-critical industry.
• Demonstrated ownership of a shared-services or enabling-functions portfolio spanning several of supply chain, facilities, IT, HSE, and security.
• Experience operating in a matrix organization, allocating finite operational capacity between competing programmes.
• Multi-site operational leadership, ideally including a remote or austere site.
• Practical command of operational safety in hazardous environments.
• Familiarity with Canada’s Controlled Goods Programme and export control compliance.
• Working knowledge of aerospace quality and configuration standards (AS9100, ECSS, or equivalent).
• Sufficient technical literacy in enterprise IT and information security.
• Commercial and financial fluency.
• Track record of scaling operations through a growth phase.
• Executive presence and credibility with customers, regulators, and investors.
• Willingness to be based on-site with regular presence across all NordSpace facilities.

This posting is for an existing vacancy. Thank you to all who apply. Candidates who are successfully selected for an interview will be notified by email. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in Canada and able to obtain and maintain a security assessment under the Controlled Goods Program as a condition of their employment. NordSpace encourages all qualified applicants to apply, even if the posted salary range does not align with their expectations. NordSpace is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates; all hiring decisions are based on merit and job-related qualifications, without discrimination on any ground protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code. Accommodations are available on request at any stage of the selection process.