Principal Engineer – TeraWave RF and Optical Systems

BLUE ORIGIN•Seattle, WA

11d•$332,694 - $465,772•Onsite

About The Position

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. This role is part of the Emerging Systems business unit, which is focused on developing cutting-edge space technologies including TeraWave, Blue Origin's revolutionary space-based networking system. TeraWave is designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps, providing connectivity to locations unreachable by traditional methods and adding a space-based layer to existing network infrastructure. As a Principal Engineer for RF and Optical System Integration & Verification, you will own the end-to-end integration, bring-up, and verification strategy for TeraWave's RF and optical communications payloads, user/gateway terminals, and ground segment. You will be the technical authority who proves that the constellation's links work — from first light in an anechoic chamber and Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), through hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) emulation of orbital dynamics, to on-orbit commissioning and steady-state flight operations. This is a Principal-level individual contributor and technical leadership role. You will oversee systems and projects across a broad domain, directing system owners across multiple teams on the design, delivery, and planning of integration and verification capability with no day-to-day oversight. You will set the technical direction for how Blue Origin verifies space-based RF and optical links, drive operational excellence across organizational boundaries, and serve as an advisor to leadership and customers on advanced technical studies. Success in this role means not only closing verification against complex requirements, but proactively identifying problems no one has yet identified and proposing novel, cutting-edge solutions where the path forward is not clear.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in RF and/or optical communications system integration, test, and verification for complex hardware/software systems.
Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end I&V lifecycles: requirements/ConOps → design and simulation → lab/chamber verification → HITL emulation → field or on-orbit validation.
Deep hands-on expertise with RF test and reference equipment (signal generators/analyzers, VNAs, oscilloscopes, channel emulators, noise/power meters, phase-noise analyzers) and with anechoic chamber, CATR, or OTA test methodologies.
Strong working knowledge of link budgets and modem/PHY performance metrics (EVM, ACLR, PAPR, sensitivity, BER/BLER, MCS/FEC behavior, CFO/SFO, timing recovery).
Experience with 3GPP NTN, Release 17+ callbox/UE emulation, DU/CU vendor evaluation, or hosted-payload integration on a satellite bus.
Proficiency developing test automation and analysis software in Python and MATLAB/Simulink, with working knowledge of C/C++ and Linux-based test and networking environments.
Experience leading cross-functional technical teams and mentoring senior engineers, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of experience verifying mission-critical communications systems, including satellite communications, LEO mega-constellations, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), cellular wireless, or terrestrial telecom.
Experience with one or more of: software-defined radios; RF transceivers and antenna system control (phased arrays, parabolic/gimbaled antennas); optical transceivers (ACOs/DCOs) and free-space optical/laser communication terminals with acquisition, pointing, and tracking (APT).
Experience with TT&C, feeder/gateway, user link, and inter-satellite/optical cross-link verification, and with satellite bring-up and on-orbit commissioning at constellation scale.
Experience building HITL/digital-twin test frameworks that emulate orbital dynamics with GNSS simulators, hexapods, and positioners; precision timing (ns-class), and positioning verification.
Experience defining and deploying large-scale lab, ground-station, and mobile test infrastructure, including RF, power, clock/timing, thermal, and network architecture.
Familiarity with formal verification methods for safety-critical software, radiation-hardened computing environments, and spectrum/regulatory compliance (ITU/FCC) coordination.
Track record of publications, patents, or standards-body participation (3GPP, IEEE, AIAA, CCSDS).

Responsibilities

Own the integration and verification (I&V) architecture for one or more TeraWave RF and optical system areas (payload, terminals, ground stations, links) and represent them in cross-team discussions with chief architects and peer technical leaders.
Conduct trade studies, build prototypes, and provide early feasibility analysis to identify I&V architectural options across low-, medium-, and high-performance/high-cost test approaches, and propose the best path forward.
Define and own the verification strategy and requirements traceability from ConOps and link budgets through subsystem test, system-level HITL emulation, environmental/chamber campaigns, and on-orbit validation.
Develop, apply, and teach advanced technical principles across the full development cycle — requirements, design, analysis, build, verification, and test.
Lead cross-functional integration campaigns with hardware, silicon, RF/antenna, optical, modem/DSP, flight software, SDN, Networking and systems engineering teams to bring up system features, troubleshoot problems, and deliver solutions.
Direct lab- and site-level satellite and terminal bring-up, including RF line-up, optical bench alignment, clock/timing distribution, power, thermal, and networking test infrastructure, and rooftop/ground antenna integration.
Own RF payload line-up and link budget verification: EVM, ACLR, PAPR, Tx power and spectral flatness, Rx sensitivity, adjacent channel selectivity, linearity/compression, phased-array beam formation, sidelobes, and pointing accuracy.
Own optical link verification: coherent optical transceiver (ACO/DCO) characterization, pre-/post-FEC BER, OSNR and power budget margin, acquisition/tracking and pointing-jitter performance, and terminal-to-terminal cross-link closure.
Own PHY layer verification: achieved data rates and throughput, BLER across all MCS points, and quantification of residual timing error, CFO/SFO, phase noise, and Doppler effects in a LEO channel.
Own MAC -layer and network-layer verification: initial network entry, power control, link adaptation, scheduling, handover, and make-before-break continuity under representative constellation dynamics.
Direct the architecture of high-fidelity HITL frameworks that replicate orbital dynamics — delay/Doppler profiles, azimuth/elevation tracking, handovers, and real-time kinematics — using CATR/anechoic ranges, channel emulators, GNSS simulators, hexapods/positioners, and precision RF and optical reference instrumentation.
Model constellation geometry, antenna ground projections, and SINR variation to predict and validate data-rate performance across latitudes, beam configurations, and orbital/launch phases.
Lead the design, evolution, and continuous improvement of the verification SDLC across multiple teams: automated CI/CD pipelines for waveform, modem, and terminal regression; test-vector generation; instrument abstraction layers; and automated data reduction and analysis.
Champion software and test engineering best practices — version-controlled test assets, TDD, code review, reproducible test environments, and telemetry-driven data analysis — and evangelize the use of data across teams to assess and measure impact.
Contribute production-quality code and tooling in Python, C/C++, and MATLAB/Simulink for test automation, signal processing, and analysis; define performance KPIs (latency, throughput, link margin, algorithmic efficiency) and the methods used to measure and optimize them.
Define and direct multi-year lab, chamber, and ground-station infrastructure roadmaps, including capital planning, vendor selection, procurement, and deployment of permanent, mobile, and field test capability.
Lead anomaly investigations and root cause analyses on the most complex and ambiguous RF/optical, digital, and software-interaction failures, spanning commercial, open-source, and custom solutions; drive corrective and preventive actions to closure.
Drive operational excellence initiatives across the organization, especially where processes, tooling, or test capability are slowing innovation or blocking delivery for other teams.
Support on-orbit commissioning and flight operations, including test-as-you-fly validation, on-orbit performance characterization, and handoff of runbooks and operational procedures.
Provide mentoring and technical leadership to engineers and projects across Blue through design reviews, technical forums, mentoring relationships, and setting of technical direction; be accountable for the technical accuracy of others' work through review.
Guide the successful completion of major programs through formal technical leadership roles on project and test teams; direct and drive updates on schedule, budget, milestones, and risk for the systems you own.
Develop and manage relationships across the company and with external partners, vendors, and standards bodies, often serving as organizational spokesperson and advisor to leadership and customers on advanced technical studies.
Own technical documentation, verification reports, ICDs, and test plans/procedures, including release criteria for deliverables.
Build technical influence as an internal and industry subject-matter expert through IP invention, publications, and leadership or committee participation