Laser Communications Systems Engineer III

BLUE ORIGIN • Los Angeles, MA

3d

About The Position

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! This role is part of TeraWave, a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations. We are seeking a Laser Communications Systems Engineer (Level 3) to have overall payload systems engineering ownership and play a crucial role in system-level testing, integration, and on-orbit operations of the payload.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in systems engineering roles supporting complex systems involving optics, electronics, or aerospace hardware.
• Experience with Electro-Optical payload development.
• Systems Engineering experience encompassing requirements development and management, interface control, and ownership of technical budgets, such as mass and power.
• Proficiency in payload-level verification and validation methodologies.
• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• 5 years of experience in engineering roles supporting complex systems (e.g., optics, electronics, or aerospace hardware), with at least 5 years in lead engineer roles.
• Hands-on experience supporting payload integration, test, and operations, preferably with spacecraft systems.
• Background in optical communications (lasercom) systems.
• Experience managing link budgets, pointing error budgets, and optical loss budgets.
• Direct experience leading payload test campaigns for Electro-Optical systems.
• Current Top Secret or TS/SCI Security clearance, or eligibility to obtain a Top Secret or TS/SCI Security clearance.
• Master's of PhD degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Maintain ownership of internal and external interfaces and technical budgets, including mass, power, and other critical parameters.
• Support requirements management and flow down in a fast-pace and iterative design environment.
• Manage design trade-offs across the system to support objectives for Design for Excellence in performance, cost, and manufacturability.
• Support verification and validation activities from planning through execution to confirm system functionality, performance, and requirements compliance.
• Support on-orbit operations to ensure payload effectiveness and mission success.

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.
• 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.
• Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level