Software Engineer Co-op -IoT-NTN

About Photon-IV

Photon-IV is an early-stage Canadian deep-tech startup building AI-driven satellite communication systems. Our software runs on satellite-connected IoT devices, drone swarms, and public-safety networks predicting connectivity outcomes before they happen, and saving battery / extending mission life as a result.

What You'll Learn

• 3GPP NTN (satellite cellular) and IoT-NTN standards a brand-new area with very few people working in it
• Edge ML deployment on memory-constrained hardware
• SGP4 orbital mechanics and satellite ephemeris computation
• Power profiling and battery-life optimization in real embedded systems
• How a deep-tech startup operates- customer engagements, defence funding, open-source consortia

Required

• Currently enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary co-op or internship program (ECE, CompE, SE, EngPhys, Mechatronics, or similar)
• Strong Python comfortable building data pipelines, debugging, profiling
• Familiarity with C or C++ (we'll teach the embedded specifics)
• Linux command line, Git, basic Docker
• Independent learner who asks good questions when blocked

Nice to Have

• Embedded firmware experience — Arduino, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, ESP32, STM32, Nordic nRF
• Background in signal processing, RF, or wireless communications
• ML experience — gradient-boosted trees, model distillation, quantization
• Familiarity with satellite systems, orbital mechanics, or astronomy
• Experience with hardware test instrumentation (oscilloscopes, current meters, SDRs)
• Prior co-op or internship at a startup, hardware company, or research lab

Logistics

• Term length: 8 months preferred (May-Dec 2026 / Sep 2026-Apr 2027). 4-month terms considered for exceptional candidates.
• Location: Waterloo-based. Hybrid arrangement (2-3 days/week in office, balance remote). On-site days are when hardware work happens. Out-of-province students considered if you can be in Toronto for the hardware-intensive weeks.
• Pay: $22-$25/hr depending on year of study and prior experience. Plus standard CPP/EI deductions.
• Mentorship: Weekly 1:1 with the founder. Code reviews on every PR. Pair programming on tricky problems.
• Conversion: We hire co-ops into full-time roles when there's a fit and funding. Multiple recent technical hires across the Canadian deep-tech ecosystem started as co-ops.

How to Apply

• Apply here with a Resume (one page is fine)
• Brief note (3-5 sentences) on the most technical project you've built what was hard about it, what you'd do differently
• A code link if you have one (GitHub, GitLab, personal site, course project, hackathon repo any code we can read)
• Your co-op term dates and university

You don't need to know NTN or satellite communications coming in. We need someone who can learn fast, write clean Python, debug embedded systems with discipline, and care about whether the battery actually lasts longer.

We review applications continuously and aim to respond within one week. Strong candidates do a 30-minute technical conversation, then a 90-minute take-home pairing exercise, then an offer.

About the Co-op Experience Specifically

This is a startup. That means:

• You will not be doing intern make-work. Your projects ship to a real customer.
• We move fast. You'll learn more in 4 months than in many 16-month programs at large companies.
• Things will be ambiguous sometimes. We'll teach you how to navigate that.
• If you do well, we want to keep you on either through a return co-op, a part-time arrangement during school, or full-time after graduation.

Industry

• Satellite Telecommunications

Employment Type