Sr. Photonics Engineer
About The Position
Blue Origin is hiring a Senior Photonics Engineer within Blue National Security to lead optical architecture for Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL) terminals supporting a classified beyond-LEO mission. The role focuses on hands-on design and delivery of complex optical products for hardware operating in space and within a highly classified program with national security impact. It supports the Blue Ring space-mobility platform and its avionics suite. The engineer designs, develops, and validates fiber-optic and photonic avionics systems, including optical communication links and laser-based systems. The role includes architecting photonic subsystem integration, ensuring mission and environmental compliance, modeling system performance, analyzing reliability, and qualifying and accepting hardware. The engineer collaborates with internal engineering teams and external suppliers, supports program reviews, mentors junior engineers, and authors technical specifications and verification documentation. Designs must comply with applicable NASA, MIL-STD, and Blue Origin standards. Relocation is provided, and travel is expected up to 10% of the time. Applicants must meet the stated U.S. citizenship or immigration eligibility and be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. The listed base pay ranges are $156,802.00–$219,522.45 for Virginia applicants and $144,179.00–$201,849.90 for Colorado applicants; other site ranges may differ.
Requirements
- B.S. in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- At least 7 years of hands-on experience in photonics or electro-optical systems engineering.
- Demonstrated experience with fiber-optic components, laser systems, photodetectors, or integrated photonic circuits.
- Experience designing systems for aerospace or spaceflight environments, including vibration, thermal, and radiation conditions.
- Proficiency with optical simulation tools such as Zemax, COMSOL, OptiSystem, or equivalent.
- Familiarity with requirements development, verification and validation, and configuration management.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
- 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
- Direct experience with classified national security space programs such as SDA, NRO, SSC, or equivalent.
- At least 8 years of relevant experience.
- Experience with coherent optical communication systems and associated photonics.
- Familiarity with CCSDS optical link standards and DoD interoperability requirements for Beyond LEO/GEO communication architectures.
- Experience with radiation effects on electronics (SEE, TID, displacement damage) and mitigation techniques.
- Experience designing photonics for space, aviation, or other high-reliability thermal-vacuum environments.
- Background in production hardware, including DFM/DFT practices, supply-chain coordination, and yield optimization.
- Hands-on environmental qualification testing, including TVAC, vibration, and EMI/EMC.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and validate fiber-optic and photonic avionics systems, including optical communication links and laser-based systems.
- Lead the architecture and integration of photonic components into Blue Ring's avionics suite, ensuring compliance with mission performance and environmental requirements.
- Design space-grade photonic subsystems tolerant of radiation, thermal cycling, and vacuum environments.
- Perform optical and photonic system modeling, link-budget analysis, and performance trade studies.
- Conduct environmental and reliability analysis of photonic components, including radiation, thermal, and mechanical effects.
- Develop and execute test plans for photonic hardware qualification and acceptance testing.
- Support FMEA/FMECA and fault-tree analysis for photonic avionics subsystems.
- Work cross-functionally with navigation, GNC, RF/communications, structures, and systems engineering teams.
- Interface with suppliers and vendors to select and qualify photonic components for spaceflight.
- Support CDR, PDR, and other milestone reviews with technical documentation and presentations.
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team technical growth.
- Author and maintain design specifications, ICDs, test procedures, and verification reports.
- Ensure designs comply with applicable NASA, MIL-STD, and Blue Origin standards.
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
- Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
- Up to 14 company-paid holidays
- Depending on role type and job level, potential benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions or company results
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
