Satellite Service Operations Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN • Reston, VA

23h • $130,706 - $182,988 • Onsite

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! This role is part of the Blue National Security (BNS) Business Unit, which is focused on delivering resilient, mission-critical space capabilities, including Blue Ring, to support national defense and intelligence objectives. With Blue Ring, and other BNS assets, our customers are empowered to achieve operational advantage across cislunar and Earth orbit domains, redefine mission flexibility, and pursue bold new concepts that were once beyond reach. If you're energized by the idea of working with platforms capable of enabling missions without compromise, this is your moment to make history with us. As a Satellite Service Operations Engineer, you will own the long-term sustainment and service delivery of spacecraft operations — from routine health management and performance trending, through customer service execution, to the design and implementation of the automation and AI capabilities that will allow operations to scale across the fleet's operational life. This is not a traditional satellite operations role. This role blends spacecraft operations expertise with hands-on automation development. As a Satellite Service Operations Engineer, you will be the senior on-console engineer and the ultimate real-time mission authority for spacecraft operations. Day-to-day, you'll move between directing real-time mission activities and building the automation that makes operations more efficient. Your unique combination of deep operational expertise and hands-on technical ability will be the engine that drives operations from first-mission execution to scalable, intelligent fleet management. Join us in enabling Blue Origin's vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth — passion for our mission is required!

Requirements

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in on-orbit spacecraft mission operations or space systems engineering.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems (power, thermal, data, communications, attitude, propulsion) and/or satellite ground systems (command and control software, mission planning systems, remote ground terminals, etc.).
• Experience performing on-orbit operations, including anomaly resolution activities.
• Understanding of multi-mission or constellation-level spacecraft operations concepts and challenges.
• Software/scripting development experience in Python or equivalent programming language.
• Experience with automation and efficiency improvements.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex technical and operational issues to audiences including executive leadership and external customers.
• Ability to earn trust, build positive professional relationships, and collaborate with individuals of broad backgrounds to achieve mission success.

Nice To Haves

• M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Active or eligible for Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.
• Demonstrated proficiency in orbital mechanics principles, satellite dynamics, and control theory, with a strong foundation in academic or professional experience.
• Experience with hosted or separable payload mission planning and operations.
• Experience with developing and/or maintaining "Lights Out" satellite operations products.
• Knowledge of electric propulsion systems and low-thrust trajectory planning.
• Experience applying AI/ML techniques to operational workflows, such as predictive anomaly detection, intelligent scheduling, or data-driven decision support.
• Experience with government or defense space programs and associated customer relationship management.
• Experience with trending and analysis platforms for long-term spacecraft health monitoring (e.g., Databricks, Grafana, or similar).
• Prior experience scaling operations from initial missions through fleet-level services.

Responsibilities

• Own and direct day-to-day, long term mission operations, including flight operations, ground systems operations, mission execution, and customer service delivery.
• Direct real-time spacecraft operations, including monitoring, commanding, health and status management, and performance trending across the fleet.
• Ensure mission objectives, performance standards, and delivery commitments are consistently met on behalf of customers.
• Oversee ground system command and control operations, ensuring telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) infrastructure meets mission needs and reliability standards.
• Conduct anomaly resolution activities, including problem identification, root cause analysis, corrective action implementation, and documentation.
• Conduct system performance assessments and generate reports for routine operations, anomaly events, and mission milestones for both internal leadership and external customers.
• Coordinate with payload customers and internal stakeholders to ensure hosted payload activities are executed safely and within approved parameters.
• Execute automation for mission operations, identifying opportunities to leverage software-driven solutions, intelligent automation, and data-driven decision support to scale operations efficiently.
• Maintain continuous integration and testing of operational code, ensuring automation products are validated against spacecraft simulation environments prior to operational use.
• Collaborate with ground software teams to define requirements, design interfaces, and integrate automation and AI tools into the ground system architecture.

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: Senior