Blue Origin

Principal BSP Embedded Software Engineer - Silicon Systems

Blue Origin$164K — $230K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
  • 12+ years of BSP/firmware development experience for SoCs or custom ASICs
  • Deep expertise in boot ROM and multi-stage bootloader design
  • Extensive experience with secure boot and cryptographic acceleration
  • Expert-level proficiency in C and C++
  • Experience in bare metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux environments
  • Strong understanding of ARM/RISC-V architectures and silicon bring-up processes

Responsibilities

  • Architect and own the full BSP software stack for custom SoCs/ASICs
  • Define and drive the security boot architecture and key management
  • Design and implement power management frameworks for embedded systems
  • Develop infrastructure for debug and trace support
  • Lead silicon bring-up on emulation platforms and FPGA prototypes
  • Define HAL and driver architecture for peripheral interface
  • Collaborate with ASIC teams to influence SoC architecture decisions

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options
  • Paid parental leave and short/long-term disability
  • 401(k) with up to 5% company match
  • Stock options for regular employees
  • Up to four weeks of paid time off and 14 paid holidays
  • Education Support Program
Full Job Description
Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

This role will be onsite in Austin , TX, or Bay Area, CA or Kent, WA or San Diego, CA. It is approved for a temporary remote work exception while our sites are developed.

About the Role

At Blue Origin, we are building the future of space networking. Project TeraWave is developing next-generation wireless communication systems to support our vision of millions of people living and working in space. As a Principal BSP Embedded Software Engineer, you will be a technical leader responsible for architecting and delivering board support packages for advanced SoC and ASIC platforms that power our space networking systems.

You will drive technical strategy, mentor engineers, and work across hardware and software boundaries to deliver flight-quality embedded software. This role is central to enabling our custom silicon to boot, initialize, and operate reliably in the demanding environment of space.

We are looking for someone who can apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities
  • Architect and own the full BSP software stack including boot ROMs, multi-level bootloaders, chip configuration, and platform initialization for custom SoCs/ASICs
  • Define and drive the security boot architecture including secure boot, chain-of-trust, hardware root-of-trust, and key management strategies
  • Design and implement power management frameworks including dynamic voltage/frequency scaling, power domain control, and low-power state transitions
  • Develop debug and trace infrastructure (CoreSight, JTAG, SWD, ETM) to support silicon bring-up and system-level debugging
  • Lead silicon bring-up activities on emulation platforms (Palladium, Zebu, Veloce), FPGA prototypes (Protium, ProFPGA, HAPS), and first silicon
  • Define HAL and driver architecture for peripheral interfaces (SPI, UART, I2C, GPIO, DMA)
  • Collaborate closely with ASIC teams to influence SoC architecture decisions and provide firmware requirements.
  • Establish coding standards, review processes, and verification strategies for embedded software
  • Mentor senior and junior engineers; drive technical roadmap decisions
  • Support pre-silicon validation using emulation and RTL simulation environments

Minimum Qualifications
  • B.S. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
  • 12+ years of experience in BSP/firmware development for SoCs or custom ASICs
  • Deep expertise in boot ROM development, multi-stage bootloader design, and chip configuration
  • Extensive experience with secure boot, cryptographic acceleration, and hardware security modules
  • Expert-level proficiency in C and C++
  • Proven experience with bare metal, RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks), and/or embedded Linux (Yocto, Buildroot)
  • Experience with pre-silicon environments: emulation (Palladium, Zebu, Veloce) and FPGA prototyping (Protium, ProFPGA, HAPS)
  • Strong understanding of ARM/RISC-V processor architectures and SoC subsystems
  • Track record of leading silicon bring-up from emulation through production silicon
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance

Desired Qualifications
  • M.S. or Ph.D. in relevant field
  • Experience with space-grade or aerospace embedded systems
  • Familiarity with radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant processor architectures
  • Experience with emulation and RTL co-simulation
  • Knowledge of power management IC (PMIC) integration and system-level power sequencing
  • Experience with DO-178C or equivalent safety-critical software standards
  • Contributions to open-source bootloader projects (U-Boot, TF-A, coreboot)


Base Pay Range for:
CA applicants is $164,652.00 - $230,512.80WA applicants is $164,652.00 - $230,512.80

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Don't meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Benefits
  • Benefits include: 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.
  • Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.


About Blue Origin

Blue Origin is an aerospace company that develops rockets and spacecraft for commercial and government customers. The company's products include the New Shepard suborbital vehicle and the New Glenn orbital rocket. Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos and is headquartered in Kent, Washington.
Learn more about Blue Origin
Size
3,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2000

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