Principal Hardware Systems Architect – User Terminal
About The Position
Blue Origin is seeking a Principal Hardware Systems Architect to define and lead the end-to-end architecture of its next-generation satellite user terminal for TeraWave, a satellite communications network intended to provide high-speed connectivity to enterprise, data center, and government users. The role owns system-level hardware design spanning RF antenna arrays, high-speed digital processing, power systems, and mechanical integration. The architect will set the technical roadmap, make architectural and component trade-offs, and guide cross-functional engineering toward a high-performance, cost-optimized product designed for scale. The position drives hardware from initial architecture through global, high-volume manufacturing, coordinating with RF, Electrical, Mechanical, and Embedded Software teams, as well as contract manufacturers and suppliers. It also establishes technical metrics, validation plans, and compliance strategies for international wireless deployment.
Requirements
- Master’s or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a highly related technical field.
- 10+ years of hardware engineering experience delivering complex wireless, radar, or satellite communication products.
- Deep technical understanding of phased array antenna physics, digital beamforming architectures, high-speed digital buses such as PCIe, SerDes, and Ethernet, and RF front-ends.
- Strong background defining layout constraints for massive, multi-layer mixed-signal boards, with a focus on signal and power integrity and EMI containment.
- Proven track record architecting hardware for high-volume manufacturing, with deep knowledge of DFM/DFA constraints and supply-chain trade-offs.
Nice To Haves
- Understanding of interactions between RF-transparent radome polymers such as ASA or polycarbonates, hydrophobic coatings, and high-frequency microwave arrays.
- Previous engineering leadership role in a major Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Geostationary (GEO) user terminal development program.
Responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end system block diagram and define the user terminal’s hardware architecture, power distribution, data pathways, and grounding schemes.
- Evaluate and select critical components, including main SoCs, high-speed transceivers, memory, and peripherals, balancing performance, power efficiency, and bill-of-materials cost.
- Serve as the primary technical anchor connecting RF, Electrical, Mechanical, and Embedded Software teams and resolve multidisciplinary interface challenges.
- Define thermal dissipation strategies and high-voltage power delivery frameworks for high-power beamforming states.
- Drive hardware through its product lifecycle, from initial architecture to global, high-volume manufacturing.
- Partner with contract manufacturers and suppliers to optimize assembly yields, execute factory test strategies, and reduce unit costs.
- Establish technical metrics, validation plans, and compliance strategies for international wireless deployment, including FCC Part 25/15 and CE/ETSI requirements.
- Drive the technical roadmap and make critical architectural and component trade-offs.
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 benefits and bonuses depending on role type and job level; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
