Qualifications
Responsibilities
Benefits
Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide.
Principal Hardware Engineer – Network Switch Platform
Blue Origin's Emerging Systems business unit is buildingTeraWave, a satellite communications constellation powered by the most advanced optical communicationsarchitecture everattempted: thousands of optically interconnected satellites delivering symmetrical data speeds of up to 6Tbpsanywhere on Earth, providing enterprise and hyperscale customers with resilient, scalableconnectivity for critical operations where terrestrial infrastructure cannot reach.
You will own the end-to-end hardware design of the switching subsystem fromhigh-speed Ethernet switch and PHY integration topowerarchitecture,embedded management controllers, andhigh-speed PCB layout. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has designed and shipped complex electronic products in fast-moving environments and wants to apply that experience to hardwareoperatingat orbital scale.
Special Mentions:
Relocationassistanceis available for qualified candidates.
Travel: Up to 25%.
Responsibilities:
Embedded Management & MicroprocessorArchitecture
Architect BMC subsystems usingMPSoC, ARM, or RISC-V microprocessors tomonitorline card health, thermal sensors, and voltage rails.
Design and integrate low-level communication buses (I2C, SPI,PMBus,SMBus, RS-485, CAN) for hardware telemetry and sequencing control.
Develop hardware watchdog circuits and redundant boot sequences for fault recovery.Enable in-flight firmwarereprogrammabilityvia ground link, including secure update and rollback mechanisms.
Power Distribution & Regulation
Architect high-reliability power distribution with autonomous sequencing, redundant paths (e.g., ORing controllers), and fault isolation toeliminatesingle points of failure.
Specify and integrate radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant components rated for SEE and TID in the target orbital environment.
Design power stages for thermal-vacuum operation, emphasizing high-efficiency topologies and conduction/radiation thermal transfer.
Architect low-noise power trees using high-PSRR LDOs and multi-stage LC filtering to protect sensitive analog and high-speed digital lanes.
Signal & Power Integrity
Lead SPICE-based transient analysis and hardware validation of load step responses, switching transients, and voltage ripple to millivolt-level tolerances.
Develop EMI/EMC mitigation strategies 6 groundingarchitecture, decoupling optimization, power/signal plane isolation 6 to prevent crosstalk between power distribution and high-speed data paths.
Hardware Design, Integration & Test
Lead multi-layer PCB design for switch line cards:stackupdefinition, impedance-controlled routing, thermal management, and DFM.
Manage CCA BOM procurement, vendor coordination, and assembly oversight.
Integrate BSPs, SDKs, and device drivers for Ethernet switching and network processor components in collaboration with firmware and software teams.
Architect and bring up high-performance Ethernet switching systems, including NPU/switch ASIC integration, PHY and SerDes tuning, VLAN configuration, and MAC-level validation across high-density line cards.
Resolve complex hardware-software interface issues across L1 and L2, including physical layer bring-up, transceiver integration, and MAC-level debugging.
Lead factory acceptance testing, physical layer validation (optical transceivers, high-density copper), and commissioning of switch hardware.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in hardware design, power electronics, or embedded systems in a product development environment.
Track recordof designing and shipping complex electronic products through development into production.
Experience designing multi-layer PCBs with high-speed digital interfaces and mixed-signal power distribution;proficiencyin Altium, Cadence, or equivalent.
Hands-on experience designing and integrating high-speed Ethernet switch hardware, including network processors (NPUs), SerDes interfaces, and optical or copper PHY technologies.
Strong knowledge of power supply design (DC-DC converters, LDOs, sequencing, transient analysis) with hands-on SPICE simulation experience.
Experience with embedded microprocessor design (ARM, RISC-V, or similar) including BSP integration and peripheral bus bring-up (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN).
Practical EMI/EMC mitigation and signal/power integrity analysis experience.
Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
Compensation Range for:
CA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85 WA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85Other site ranges may differ
Culture Statement
Dont 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 youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt 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 companys intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the companys results, or other factors at the companys sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.
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