Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer, Project Sunrise

Blue Origin•Littleton, CO

14h•$181,626 - $276,540

About The Position

Blue Origin’s Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE) team is developing Sunrise, a satellite constellation of orbital data centers designed to transform how compute infrastructure is deployed and leveraged. The Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer will evolve an existing space-based laser communications design to meet new system requirements and performance targets. The role leads a multidisciplinary team of hardware and software engineers developing pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies for a high-bandwidth satellite constellation. The engineer will lead the design, analysis, and optimization of free-space optical communications systems and take responsibility for end-to-end design, component integration, performance analysis, testing, and spacecraft integration. The work includes hands-on laboratory and over-the-air validation, as well as maintaining design documentation, interface definitions, and performance analyses.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
At least 5 years of experience designing and developing optical communication systems.
Demonstrated experience leading or directing small technical teams comprising hardware and software specialists.
Experience with optical communication systems for satellite constellations or aerospace applications.
Strong understanding of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems and algorithm development.
Proficiency in optical link budget and performance analysis.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Ph.D. in a relevant field.
Experience with the full lifecycle of a satellite program, from design and development through in-orbit operations.
Experience with real-time digital signal processing (DSP) for communication systems implemented on FPGAs, GPUs, or embedded processors.
Familiarity with Software-Defined Radio (SDR) architectures and frameworks.
Proficiency with optical design and simulation software such as Zemax, Code V, or MATLAB/Simulink.
Experience designing flight systems under strict Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints.
Knowledge of high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures.
Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to guide and mentor other engineers.

Responsibilities

Lead design, analysis, and optimization of free-space optical communication systems, including pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) and failover/redundancy strategies.
Direct hardware and software engineers in developing, implementing, and validating optical communication algorithms and hardware.
Design and validate the end-to-end optical communications pipeline, from the data interface through signal processing, modulation, and the optical front-end.
Oversee the selection, integration, and testing of optical components and subsystems, including lasers, modulators, detectors, and pointing mechanisms.
Perform link budget analysis, modeling, and simulation to predict and validate system performance under operational conditions, including platform jitter and pointing errors.
Update existing optical communications hardware and software designs to meet mission requirements, improve performance, and reduce cost.
Develop test infrastructure and execute component- and system-level test plans, including laboratory and over-the-air testing.
Collaborate with systems, avionics, and software teams to integrate the optical communications payload with the spacecraft bus.
Create and maintain design documentation, interface definitions, and performance analyses.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and 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.
Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours.
Up to 14 company-paid holidays.
Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions or other factors, subject to company discretion.