Senior System Validation and Test Automation Engineer - TeraWave RF and Optical Systems

BLUE ORIGIN•Seattle, WA

13d•$197,529 - $276,540•Onsite

About The Position

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 Senior Validation and Test Automation Engineer, you will provide technical leadership for integrating and verifying TeraWave RF and optical systems across satellite payloads, customer terminals, and ground gateways. You will develop Python-based test infrastructure, automate laboratory equipment and system interfaces, and build repeatable hardware-in-the-loop and end-to-end tests. You will work with RF, optical, embedded software, firmware, systems, and manufacturing teams to find defects early and demonstrate system performance. You will own test architecture for a designated system area from prototype through qualification, define measurable acceptance criteria, and turn test results into clear engineering decisions. Successful senior engineers design maintainable automation, isolate failures across hardware and software boundaries, and improve the speed and coverage of integration testing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
5+ years of experience developing Python software for test automation, system integration, or verification of complex hardware and software systems.
Strong proficiency in Python, including object-oriented design, modular architecture, packaging, type annotations, unit testing, and concurrent or asynchronous programming.
Experience designing automated test frameworks with pytest, Robot Framework, or a similar framework, including fixtures, reusable libraries, reporting, and failure diagnostics.
Hands-on experience with Linux-based test environments and interfaces such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, serial, SSH, REST, gRPC, SCPI, and VISA or PyVISA.
Experience integrating and testing RF, optical, networking, or other high-speed electronic systems using laboratory instrumentation and system telemetry.
Experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, automated regression testing, requirements traceability, and test data analysis using tools such as NumPy, pandas, SciPy, or plotting libraries.
Experience leading integration or test automation efforts and mentoring junior engineers.
Experience with Agile or Scaled Agile development methodologies and defect tracking workflows.
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 in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
7+ years of experience in integration, verification, or test automation for mission-critical hardware and software systems.
Experience testing satellite communications, space-based networks, cellular wireless, or terrestrial telecommunications systems.
Experience testing software-defined radios, RF transceivers, phased-array or parabolic antenna systems, and optical transceivers such as ACOs or DCOs.
Experience automating RF and optical test equipment, calibration workflows, laboratory resource scheduling, and remote or parallel test execution.
Experience building software-in-the-loop or hardware-in-the-loop environments, fault-injection tests, and automated qualification or environmental test sequences.
Knowledge of radiation-hardened computing, space-system reliability, and verification considerations for flight and ground equipment.

Responsibilities

Design and develop Python-based test automation for RF and optical subsystems on TeraWave satellite payloads, customer terminals, and ground gateway terminals.
Build reusable automation frameworks with pytest fixtures, plugins, device abstractions, and APIs for system control, telemetry collection, and result reporting.
Own integration and verification for a designated system area, including feasibility studies, prototypes, interface validation, test architecture, and acceptance criteria.
Lead development of Agentic-AI automation framework, use cases and failure models, and connect with MCPs.
Integrate RF transceivers, antenna systems, optical terminals, embedded software, firmware, and network interfaces across laboratory and system-level test environments.
Develop automated software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, subsystem, and end-to-end tests for functionality, performance, fault recovery, and regression coverage.
Automate laboratory equipment using SCPI, VISA, Ethernet, serial, or vendor APIs, including signal generators, spectrum and network analyzers, oscilloscopes, power meters, optical analyzers, and bit-error-rate testers.
Define and measure system KPIs such as EVM, bit-error rate, throughput, latency, acquisition and tracking performance, optical power, receiver sensitivity, and link margin.
Troubleshoot failures using telemetry, logs, packet captures, instrument traces, and statistical analysis, working across hardware and software teams to identify root cause.
Create reproducible test configurations, scalable lab orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, and traceable test artifacts that support parallel execution and unattended regression testing.
Contribute to requirements-based test plans, automation code reviews, and system architecture decisions; mentor engineers and lead delivery of reliable integration and test capabilities.