Principal Software Engineer – TeraWave RF and Optical Systems

Blue Origin • San Diego, WA

12h • 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 Software Engineer, you will play a vital leadership role within a team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, significantly contributing to the control and data plane architecture of the constellation. Your role will involve utilizing your expertise in software development for constrained environments, real-time operating systems, high-speed handling of data, and encryption to develop and maintain complex software solutions. You will guide software development and optimization efforts, collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure optimal quality and performance of our systems. Your ability to innovate, provide architectural direction, and deliver efficient solutions is crucial to managing the entire development process. Successful senior engineers not only meet complex requirements but also propose and implement innovative, cutting-edge solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 7 + years of deep experience in embedded software development in C/C++ to run on Linux/RTOS/Bare-metal platforms.
• Strong proficiency in C++ object-oriented design and implementation.
• Hands-on expertise in embedded systems debugging using SW and HW tools (JTAG, SWD, CoreSight, Lauterbach/Trace32, J-Link, J-Trace etc.)
• Experience with Linux networking and inter-core / processor communications between applications that use high-speed data-plane interfaces (Ethernet, Interlaken, JESD), DMA/RDMA, RoCE etc.
• Experience leading software development teams and mentoring senior engineers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 10 + years of experience in embedded software development for mission-critical systems
• Experience in developing embedded software in or more of these areas - satellite communications systems, space-based networks, cellular wireless, terrestrial telecommunications systems.
• Experience with one or more of these areas - Software defined radios, RF transceivers and antenna systems control (preferably phased arrays, parabolic antennas), Optical transceivers (ACOs, DCOs)
• Experience with developing drivers for proprietary and merchant silicon (DSPs, mixed signal processors, modems, etc.).
• Experience with formal verification methods for safety-critical software
• Knowledge of radiation-hardened computing environments and related software considerations

Responsibilities

• Own software architecture and design one or more system areas and represent them in cross-team discussions with chief architects and peer technical leaders, conduct trade studies and develop prototypes to identify architectural options, and propose the best path forward.
• Collaborate with hardware, silicon and systems engineering teams and lead integration campaigns to bring system up the features, troubleshoot problems, and provide solutions.
• Lead critical systems design and implementation of multi-threaded embedded software in C/C++ to run on Linux/RTOS/Bare-metal platforms, hosted on multi-core SoCs on the TeraWave satellite payload and ground terminals.
• Define and develop strategies for scaling, fault-tolerance and recovery.
• Define performance KPIs (processing latencies, throughput, algorithmic efficiency) and develop methods for measurements and optimization of resources (compute, memory, storage, network and I/O).
• Contribute to technical documentation, code reviews, and system architecture decisions.
• Champion embedded software development, testing and troubleshooting best practices – including CI/CD, test and data analysis automation, TDD.
• Lead the team from front in delivering with speed and quality, and mentor a team of highly skilled software engineers, fostering technical excellence and innovation.

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