Building Mission-Driven Technology: Life at TerraSense

Natalia Kaplan
1 day ago
4 min read

At TerraSense, the work is not theoretical.

Six men stand and sit on a military tank in a sunny open field under a bright blue sky, appearing to inspect it.

Our team builds AI-enabled defence technology for complex, high-stakes environments where speed, clarity, and trust matter. From multimodal sensing and real-time intelligence to airborne testing, applied research, and field-ready systems, TerraSense is focused on helping defence teams make faster, more informed decisions when the stakes are high.

As TerraSense continues to grow, so does the team behind the technology. With new roles opening across the company, we wanted to share what it means to build a career here and why this is an exciting time to join.

From Boundary-Pushing Research to Usable Technology

Some of the most important advances in defence technology begin as ideas that once seemed out of reach: making sense of massive amounts of data in real time, connecting information across sensors, using AI to support faster interpretation, and helping teams see more clearly in complex environments.

At TerraSense, those ideas do not stay theoretical. Our team contributes to the advancement of AI, computer vision, remote sensing, synthetic data, and defence technology through technical research, publications, and ongoing development. That academic depth matters because the problems we work on are complex and require more than surface-level innovation.

Three men pose at a conference poster session with AVION and LLaDA-V research posters behind them.

But the goal is not research for research’s sake. TerraSense is focused on turning advanced ideas into systems that can be tested, evaluated, and used outside controlled environments. For team members, that means working at the edge of what is technically possible while helping move that work toward practical defence applications.

Working Close to the Field

The next step is making sure the technology works where it matters.

Defence systems have to account for real constraints, real terrain, real operational needs, and the people who rely on them in the field. At TerraSense, that connection to end users is a critical part of how we build.

Our team works closely with defence primes, military partners, and operators to better understand the environments our technology is designed to support. Those conversations and field experiences help shape how we think about usability, reliability, speed, and trust.

Soldiers in camouflage gather in a field tent around a laptop and map, leaning over a table in focused discussion.

For the people who work here, that creates a different kind of challenge. The work is not only about solving technical problems in theory. It is about helping bring ideas that once seemed distant or experimental closer to field-ready technology that can support situational awareness, decision-making, and operational clarity in complex environments.

Strengthening Canadian Defence Technology

TerraSense’s growth is rooted in Canada’s defence innovation ecosystem. The company’s early momentum was supported through the Department of National Defence’s Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security, or IDEaS, program, including a record $8.976M contract to advance MIST, TerraSense’s multimodal surveillance and tracking technology.

Group of men posing in front of a white Canada National Research Council plane on a tarmac, some in flight suits, smiling

Since then, TerraSense has continued to build alongside Canadian partners across defence, aerospace, academia, and industry, including organizations such as Canadian UAVs, KF Aerospace, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Canada, GDMSC, and the University of British Columbia, as part of a broader effort to advance Canadian-built defence capability.

Officials at a press event in an aircraft hangar with Canadian planes, flags, and defense strategy posters; audience films.

For people joining TerraSense, that means the work is connected to something larger than a single product or project. It is part of a growing Canadian defence innovation landscape where homegrown technology, national partnerships, and applied research are helping shape the future of defence capability.

Technology With Global Reach

TerraSense technology is being developed, tested, and refined in collaboration with partners in Canada and around the world.

Our work has included projects with international defence partners, collaboration with major primes, and testing environments that help push our systems closer to operational readiness. From work connected to BAE Systems Australia, BAE Systems UK and Raytheon as well as to collaboration with Canadian defence stakeholders, TerraSense is focused on building technology that can move from concept to field testing and beyond.

Group of men, some in military gear, pose in a desert by drone equipment holding Canadian and German flags.

For builders, researchers, engineers, developers, strategists, and operators, that creates a rare opportunity: to work at the edge of emerging technology while seeing how that work connects to practical defence applications at home and abroad.

Support, Flexibility, and Room to Grow

The work at TerraSense asks a lot from people, so the company also puts thought into how people are supported.

Benefits and perks begin from day one, including six weeks of paid vacation, flexible work hours with core collaboration hours from 10 AM to 2 PM, comprehensive dental, medical, and insurance coverage, and regular team events.

These benefits matter, but they are only one part of the picture. The bigger opportunity is the space to learn, contribute, and take ownership.

Jordan Khoo, who joined TerraSense as a Mechatronics & Control Systems Engineering Intern and is now launching his own company, described the culture this way:

Smiling man in sunglasses and blue polo with name tag Jordan, leaning on a railing outdoors with mountains behind him.

“The best part is the open culture and the overall drive of people within the company. It's unique in that everybody has a direction and they're all so supportive in helping each other grow their career and themselves. There's an incredible amount of space to learn and grow and push yourself and others.”

His advice to future applicants was just as direct:

“Keep an open mind and look for work and problems. There's opportunity everywhere to contribute and it's up to you to ask for it. You'll have the support, just go do it.”

That mindset captures a lot about life at TerraSense. The work is not always predictable, and the answers are not always obvious. But for people who are curious, self-directed, and excited by complex problems, there is real room to build.

Join the Team Building the Future of Defence AI

TerraSense is growing, with open roles across the company.

If you are interested in AI, aerospace, defence technology, applied research, and multidisciplinary collaboration, we invite you to explore our current opportunities on the careers page.

In the coming weeks, we will also be sharing more stories from the people behind TerraSense, including new team members and women helping shape the future of defence technology.