Software Development Engineer III - Network & SDN - TeraWave
About The Position
Blue Origin is developing TeraWave, a satellite communications network designed to provide symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth for enterprise, data center, and government users. As a Software Engineer for Network Architecture and SDN, you will contribute to the design and implementation of the network supporting a multi-orbit constellation of 5,408 optically interconnected satellites. The work involves building a dynamic, self-healing network that supports high-speed inter-satellite links and seamless ground-user handoffs within strict power and latency budgets. You will apply networking architecture and software-defined networking expertise to develop critical components of the space-based communications system. Working with principal engineers, senior software developers, and technical leaders, you will contribute to routing, traffic management, and network resilience, and mentor junior engineers on networking best practices.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Five or more years of experience in software development for networks, distributed systems, or telecommunications.
- Experience implementing SDN controllers and programmable data planes such as P4, OpenFlow, or proprietary frameworks.
- Experience implementing network solutions for wireless, cloud, or service provider networks.
- Experience developing software for mission-critical systems in production environments.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience with satellite communications networks or terrestrial and satellite hybrid networks.
- Knowledge of BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, and Segment Routing (SRv6 or SR-MPLS) in production network environments.
- Understanding of packet processing, ASIC or FPGA forwarding logic, and high-speed switching.
- Background in graph theory or network optimization, with modeling and simulation tools for network performance analysis.
- Contributions to networking projects, internally or open-source, and understanding of regulatory considerations for communications systems.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical written and verbal communication skills.
Responsibilities
- Develop routing solutions, topology management, and fast-reroute mechanisms tailored to time-varying LEO satellite constellations.
- Implement software-defined networking frameworks supporting centralized and distributed control planes across the constellation.
- Implement self-healing network logic that uses real-time telemetry for automated congestion management and fault isolation.
- Develop observability components using in-band and out-of-band telemetry for packet-level visibility and flow-level tracing.
- Implement packet-forwarding solutions that operate reliably in space and optimize latency and throughput under power constraints.
- Support cross-layer optimization with RF and Silicon teams to ensure mobility across beams and satellites.
- Collaborate with principal engineers, senior software developers, and technical leaders on routing, traffic management, and network resilience.
- Mentor junior engineers on networking best practices.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- 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 and company results or other factors.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
