RF Radio Responsible Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN•Reston, VA

1d•$130,706 - $182,988

About The Position

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit. To further Blue Origin's mission of having millions of people living and working in space, we are building the sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the Lunar Surface. As part of a hardworking team of diverse specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will lead the concept development, hardware and firmware development, test and integration, and transfer from development hardware to production for the radio products. As the Single Threaded Leader for the radio products, you will be responsible for oversight and execution for the efficient hardware bring-up, functional characterization, environmental exposure, and qualification, and you will be responsible for ensuring both the hardware and the records meet engineering and quality requirements upon test completion. You will also serve as the technical bridge between the product engineers and the vehicle system level team. This is a multi-disciplinary and hands-on role to be able to deliver radio products under an aggressive schedule to the lunar landers.

Requirements

Minimum of a B.S. in electrical, computer, or aerospace engineering, physics, or related field
Minimum 3 years of RF communications system design for the space environment
Minimum 3 years of qualifying space hardware for the space environment
Minimum 3 years demonstrated aerospace test experience including: developing test requirements, plans, procedures, reports, and associated test equipment/test setups; operating and troubleshooting test setups and test articles; participating in environmental testing including Shock/Vibration, Thermal Cycles, Vacuum, and/or EMI/EMC
Familiarity with digital communication systems, spread spectrum, and modulation types such as PSK, APSK, and QAM, and with modulated signal test methods
Minimum 3 years demonstrated hardware test experience of RF and avionics devices at the card, box, or system level (e.g., radios and transceivers, power amplifiers, radar, GNSS/navigation, RF distribution, Command & Control, Power, Input/Output)
Working knowledge of EMI/EMC design and mitigation techniques: grounding and bonding, shielding, filtering, cable routing and shield termination, and enclosure design
Proficient in the use of standard electronic lab test and troubleshooting equipment, including vector network analyzers, spectrum and signal analyzers, signal generators, power meters, oscilloscopes, and electronic loads
Desire to work hands-on, both independently and as part of a team, throughout the development and production phases of the mechanical and electronic assembly product lifecycle
Good written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
Ability to work with multi-functional teams such as mechanical, systems, and operations to partner for the best test implementation solutions
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

Experience testing space-grade or high-reliability hardware to qualification and acceptance standards such as GSFC-STD-7000 (GEVS), MIL-STD-1540, SMC-S-016, or ECSS
Experience with CCSDS protocols
Experience developing, designing, and/or verifying custom Automated Test Equipment
Experience working with Python for instrument control and data analysis (SCPI, VISA, GPIB)
Familiarity with Linux and other Unix-style operating systems
Familiarity with git, JIRA, Windchill
Demonstrated experience planning and executing EMI/EMC testing, including radiated and conducted emissions and susceptibility, with working knowledge of MIL-STD-461, DO-160, or equivalent standards
Experience developing hardware to IPC J-STD-0001xS, IPC/WHMA-A-620x-S, and/or NASA-STD-8739.n standards

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical authority for radio frequency (RF) software defined radios operating from UHF through Ka-Band
Lead a multi-disciplinary team (electrical, RF, software, FPGA, test, mechanical) in the vertical integration of software defined radios under an aggressive schedule
Develop and review RF requirements for various lunar vehicles, assess mitigation techniques, review test plans/procedures for EMI/EMC, and environmental tests
Lead the handoff of the radio products from development to production
Technical bridge between the radio product team and the vehicle system engineers
Support Design and Systems Engineers in RF and avionics hardware design and verification plan development, and advocate for design-for-testability at both the card and box level
Work with Hardware and Software Design Engineers to design, build, and verify custom Automated Test Equipment, including RF test benches, fixtures, cabling, and calibration approaches
Support schedule development and resource coordination, including test facility, chamber, and equipment scheduling
Lead test readiness efforts, resolve work stoppages, and delegate supporting tasks
Troubleshoot test anomalies real-time and identify test article and test equipment non-conformances
Lead anomaly investigations, root cause analyses, and development of recovery plans
Generate test record summaries and support generation of verification artifacts
Interface with internal and external test facilities, labs, and suppliers for chamber time, specialty testing, and third-party compliance activities