Blue Origin

Satellite Service Operations Engineer

Blue Origin$130K — $182K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
  • 5+ years of experience in spacecraft mission operations or space systems engineering.
  • Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems and satellite ground systems.
  • Experience with on-orbit operations and anomaly resolution activities.
  • Software/scripting development experience in Python or equivalent.
  • Knowledge of automation techniques and efficiency improvements.
  • Excellent communication skills to convey complex technical issues.

Responsibilities

  • Own and direct day-to-day mission operations including flight and ground systems operations.
  • Direct real-time spacecraft operations including monitoring, commanding, and health management.
  • Ensure mission objectives and delivery commitments are consistently met for customers.
  • Oversee ground systems TT&C operations ensuring reliability meets mission needs.
  • Conduct anomaly resolution activities including problem identification and corrective action implementation.
  • Generate performance assessment reports for operations and anomaly events.
  • Coordinate with payload customers to ensure safe execution of activities.

Benefits

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

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

This role is part of the Blue National Security (BNS) Business Unit, which is focused on delivering resilient, mission-critical space capabilities, including Blue Ring, to support national defense and intelligence objectives.

With Blue Ring, and other BNS assets, our customers are empowered to achieve operational advantage across cislunar and Earth orbit domains, redefine mission flexibility, and pursue bold new concepts that were once beyond reach. If you're energized by the idea of working with platforms capable of enabling missions without compromise, this is your moment to make history with us.

As a Satellite Service Operations Engineer, you will own the long-term sustainment and service delivery of spacecraft operations - from routine health management and performance trending, through customer service execution, to the design and implementation of the automation and AI capabilities that will allow operations to scale across the fleet's operational life. This is not a traditional satellite operations role. This role blends spacecraft operations expertise with hands-on automation development. As a Satellite Service Operations Engineer, you will be the senior on-console engineer and the ultimate real-time mission authority for spacecraft operations. Day-to-day, you'll move between directing real-time mission activities and building the automation that makes operations more efficient. Your unique combination of deep operational expertise and hands-on technical ability will be the engine that drives operations from first-mission execution to scalable, intelligent fleet management.

Join us in enabling Blue Origin's vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth - passion for our mission is required!

Special Mentions:
  • Based at Reston, VA, or Seattle, WA, offices. Relocation provided.
  • This role requires occasional periods of shift work and on-call availability during critical mission events, anomaly resolution, and key customer milestones.


Responsibilities
  • Own and direct day-to-day, long term mission operations, including flight operations, ground systems operations, mission execution, and customer service delivery.
  • Direct real-time spacecraft operations, including monitoring, commanding, health and status management, and performance trending across the fleet.
  • Ensure mission objectives, performance standards, and delivery commitments are consistently met on behalf of customers.
  • Oversee ground system command and control operations, ensuring telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) infrastructure meets mission needs and reliability standards.
  • Conduct anomaly resolution activities, including problem identification, root cause analysis, corrective action implementation, and documentation.
  • Conduct system performance assessments and generate reports for routine operations, anomaly events, and mission milestones for both internal leadership and external customers.
  • Coordinate with payload customers and internal stakeholders to ensure hosted payload activities are executed safely and within approved parameters.
  • Execute automation for mission operations, identifying opportunities to leverage software-driven solutions, intelligent automation, and data-driven decision support to scale operations efficiently.
  • Maintain continuous integration and testing of operational code, ensuring automation products are validated against spacecraft simulation environments prior to operational use.
  • Collaborate with ground software teams to define requirements, design interfaces, and integrate automation and AI tools into the ground system architecture.


Qualifications
  • Minimum of a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
  • 5+ years of experience in on-orbit spacecraft mission operations or space systems engineering.
  • Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems (power, thermal, data, communications, attitude, propulsion) and/or satellite ground systems (command and control software, mission planning systems, remote ground terminals, etc.).
  • Experience performing on-orbit operations, including anomaly resolution activities.
  • Understanding of multi-mission or constellation-level spacecraft operations concepts and challenges.
  • Software/scripting development experience in Python or equivalent programming language.
  • Experience with automation and efficiency improvements.
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex technical and operational issues to audiences including executive leadership and external customers.
  • Ability to earn trust, build positive professional relationships, and collaborate with individuals of broad backgrounds to achieve mission success.


Desired
  • M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
  • Active or eligible for Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in orbital mechanics principles, satellite dynamics, and control theory, with a strong foundation in academic or professional experience.
  • Experience with hosted or separable payload mission planning and operations.
  • Experience with developing and/or maintaining "Lights Out" satellite operations products.
  • Knowledge of electric propulsion systems and low-thrust trajectory planning.
  • Experience applying AI/ML techniques to operational workflows, such as predictive anomaly detection, intelligent scheduling, or data-driven decision support.
  • Experience with government or defense space programs and associated customer relationship management.
  • Experience with trending and analysis platforms for long-term spacecraft health monitoring (e.g., Databricks, Grafana, or similar).
  • Prior experience scaling operations from initial missions through fleet-level services.


Base Pay Range for:
WA applicants is $130,706.00 - $182,987.70

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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