Avionics Hardware Engineer III

Blue Origin•Littleton, CO

About The Position

The Avionics Hardware Engineer III will design circuit hardware for Blue Ring avionics systems from requirements through production. The role is part of Blue National Security and supports the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. The engineer will own an assigned technical scope with considerable autonomy and contribute to continuous improvement of engineering practices. The work spans circuit design, requirements and documentation, verification and testing, and program and team contributions. The engineer will develop flight-grade analog, digital, power, and mixed-signal hardware; maintain traceability from system requirements through verification; guide PCB layout; support qualification and acceptance testing; analyze anomalies and hardware failures; and lead technical reviews for assigned projects. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents for access to export-controlled technical data. The role requires a standard background check; additional checks may apply to certain job profiles. The stated Colorado base pay range is $119,814.00–$167,738.55. Other site ranges may differ. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid parental leave, a 401(k) company match, an Education Support Program, stock options for eligible regular employees, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. Bonus eligibility may depend on role type and job level and is not guaranteed.

Requirements

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field.
At least 5 years of experience designing electronic hardware through the full development lifecycle, from requirements through fabrication, test, and production.
Experience with schematic capture using industry-standard EDA tools such as Cadence Allegro/OrCAD, Mentor Capital/PADS, or Altium Designer.
Experience performing derating, WCCA, and tolerance analysis for flight or high-reliability hardware.
Knowledge of EMI/EMC design principles and circuit-level mitigation techniques.
Experience supporting environmental qualification testing, including vibration, thermal, and shock, and interpreting test results.
Background in analog and digital circuit design, including power electronics, signal conditioning, and communication interfaces such as RS-422, SPI, I2C, or MIL-STD-1553.
Experience leading technical design reviews and producing supporting documentation.
Experience performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions for hardware non-conformances.
U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status, required for access to export-controlled technical data.

Nice To Haves

M.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
Experience designing avionics hardware for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or in-space systems.
Knowledge of radiation-tolerant component selection and design techniques for space environments.
Familiarity with MIL-STD-975, MIL-PRF-38535, or equivalent high-reliability parts qualification standards.
Experience with power electronics design, including DC/DC converters, battery charge/discharge circuits, or pyrotechnic firing circuits.
Background in FPGA or processor-based avionics subsystems and hardware/software interface definition.
Proficiency with SPICE-based simulation tools such as LTspice, PSpice, or SIMetrix.
Experience with high-speed PCB design, including signal integrity and PDN analysis.
Familiarity with AS9100, NASA-STD-8739, or IPC-A-610 quality and workmanship standards.
Experience supporting production transitions, including first article inspection, DFM iterations, and production test development.
Prior experience as a technical lead or mentor on a hardware development program.
Familiarity with MBSE and requirements management tools such as DOORS and Jama.

Responsibilities

Design analog, digital, power, and mixed-signal circuits for flight avionics, including power conversion, actuator drive, communications interfaces, data acquisition, and processor-based systems.
Decompose system-level requirements into subcircuit requirements across complex electronic modules and maintain full traceability.
Perform derating, worst-case circuit analysis (WCCA), tolerance, and thermal analyses for flight-grade hardware.
Apply EMI/EMC design techniques at circuit and module level.
Guide PCB layout reviews, including stack-up definition, signal integrity, and power delivery network considerations.
Design hardware for manufacturability and testability to support production scalability.
Write and manage hardware requirements documents, interface control documents, and design specifications.
Prepare and lead preliminary and critical design reviews for assigned projects, tracking and closing action items.
Produce technical documentation connecting design decisions to requirements.
Write hardware verification and validation plans with direct traceability to requirements.
Support environmental qualification and acceptance testing across assigned hardware.
Analyze test data, disposition anomalies, and perform root cause analysis of hardware failures.
Develop corrective actions and translate findings into design improvements.
Contribute to hardware schedules, budgets, and technical milestones, and hold technical approval authority for assigned deliverables.
Participate in tool development, process improvements, and release of engineering standards.
Give technical feedback to teammates to strengthen design quality.
Support technology maturation and department-level lessons-learned documentation.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Basic and supplemental life insurance
Paid parental leave
Short- and long-term disability
401(k) with company match of up to 5%
Education Support Program
Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
Up to 14 company-paid holidays
Potential eligibility for bonuses, dependent on role type and job level; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed