Principal Engineer - Position, Navigation, Timing (PNT) - TeraWave

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

1d • $169,624 - $237,473

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! 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.
As a Principal Engineer for Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), you will own two closely related mandates. First, you will define and maintain the timing and synchronization architecture for the TeraWave constellation how satellites establish and distribute precise time across RF and optical links, how clock errors are managed and corrected, and how timing performance requirements flow from constellation-level coordination needs down to subsystem design. Second, you will spearhead the definition of resilient PNT methods for TeraWave's constellation operations developing the algorithms, conducting the architectural trades, and designing the execution plan that ensures the constellation can determine and maintain satellite position, velocity, and timing with the accuracy and robustness the mission requires.
This is the first dedicated PNT hire within the Chief Systems Architecture office. You will be hands-on: writing estimation algorithms, building simulation frameworks, and running trade studies yourself while simultaneously defining the architectural approach and building the case for the small focused team that will follow. Implementation at scale is a subsequent stage your job is to establish the technical foundation, prove out the critical approaches, and define what the team builds. You will own the system outcome through hardware and software development, production, and deployment at scale.
This role sits within the Chief Systems Architecture office and works closely with payload, flight software, ground systems, and network engineering teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or related field; MS or PhD preferred
• 10+ years of experience in PNT systems, navigation algorithm development, or timing and synchronization engineering for satellite or distributed systems
• Hands-on experience developing estimation algorithms for orbit determination, clock estimation, or sensor fusion.
• Working knowledge of time transfer methods and clock characterization
• Experience with GNSS-based navigation and an understanding of performance under degraded or denied conditions
• Proficiency in MATLAB and/or Python for algorithm development, simulation, and analysis
• Demonstrated ability to frame and close architectural trades scoping the question, identifying binding constraints, and documenting defensible outcomes
• Strong technical communication skills able to present PNT architecture and trade results clearly to both domain specialists and program leadership

Nice To Haves

• Experience with inter-satellite link ranging or navigation using optical or RF crosslinks
• Background in LEO constellation operations, orbit maintenance, or flight dynamics
• Familiarity with satellite timing architectures PTP/NTP adaptation for space, TWSTFT, onboard clock steering
• Experience building or leading a small technical team from inception
• Experience with simulation tools and frameworks for Monte Carlo analysis of estimation performance
• Familiarity with astrodynamics tools

Responsibilities

• Define and own the timing and synchronization architecture for the TeraWave constellation time transfer methods, clock management and steering, synchronization performance budgets, and the allocation of timing requirements across space and ground segments. An immediate priority is architecting onboard satellite timing synchronization using established methods before evaluating alternative or augmented approaches.
• Develop and validate PNT estimation algorithms orbit determination, clock estimation, and sensor fusion approaches using inter-satellite link measurements, GNSS observables, and ground-based tracking data
• Build simulation frameworks to characterize estimation filter performance, timing stability, and sensitivity to degraded or denied external references
• Conduct architectural trades across PNT approaches evaluating methods, quantifying performance and robustness, and documenting trade outcomes as the basis for design decisions
• Define the PNT resilience posture for constellation operations: what accuracy and availability the system must maintain, under what denial or degradation conditions, and what architectural features provide that assurance
• Develop the execution plan and build the technical case for a focused PNT team scoping the skills, sequencing the work, and defining what must be proven before committing to implementation
• Work across payload, flight software, ground, and network teams to ensure PNT and timing requirements are understood, allocated, and verifiable at the interfaces

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.

What This Job Offers

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