Director - TeraWave PoP Infrastructure

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

3d • $233,934 - $327,507

About The Position

Application close date: Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed. At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide. We are seeking a Director, TeraWave PoP (Point of Presence) Infrastructure to lead the strategic design, delivery, and operational success of our next-generation networking infrastructure. You will not just manage software; you will architect a high-performance organization capable of engineering systems that handle terabits of traffic with surgical precision. This role requires a leader who understands the mechanics of ultra-low-latency networking at a deep, kernel-level depth but operates primarily by scaling teams, fostering technical excellence, and aligning complex engineering workstreams with the broader TeraWave mission.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years managing managers or leading large, complex engineering organizations.
• Deep technical foundation in high-performance networking, Software Defined Networking (SDN), and L2/L3 protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS).
• Demonstrated ability to lead the design and implementation of large-scale, distributed infrastructure projects that require sub-millisecond precision.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, set organizational goals, and align technical work with business and program objectives.
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional executives, Principal Engineers, and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience with DPDK, VPP, or Linux kernel networking stack optimizations.
• Experience building and operating critical infrastructure for Tier-1 ISPs, cloud providers, or massive-scale distributed constellations.
• Understanding of hardware-software co-design and performance engineering.
• A strong passion for the Blue Origin mission and the future of space exploration.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the multi-year technical roadmap for our PoP infrastructure.
• Translate high-level mission goals into actionable architectural strategies, balancing performance, reliability, and cost.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of engineers and managers.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, continuous learning, and "infrastructure as code" principles.
• Partner with Principal Engineers to ensure the underlying networking architecture (including DPDK/VPP-based fast paths and IP networking stacks like BGP/OSPF) meets our performance requirements.
• Make high-level trade-off decisions that span cross-functional domains.
• Drive the operational strategy for five-nines reliability.
• Implement observability, automated remediation, and testing frameworks that ensure our infrastructure can scale globally.
• Act as the primary liaison between the PoP team and partner organizations (e.g., RF, satellite systems, and ground stations).
• Define clear interfaces and align engineering timelines across the program.
• Instill a culture where performance bottlenecks are treated as systemic challenges to be systematically solved, influencing hardware-software interface decisions for the entire TeraWave program.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed