Lead Optical Communications Engineer Satellite Constellation

Blue Origin; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 182,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

Life insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer to own and evolve a space-based optical link design for a global satellite constellation. You will lead a multidisciplinary team to develop pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies ensuring best-in-class performance.

Responsibilities include end-to-end optical pipeline design, component testing, and collaboration with systems and software teams for spacecraft bus integration.

Qualifications

• BS in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 5+ years in design and development of optical communication systems.
• Experience leading small technical hardware-software teams.
• Experience with satellite optics or aerospace applications.
• Strong PAT (pointing, acquisition, tracking) understanding.
• Optical link budget and performance analysis proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, analysis, and optimization of free-space optical comms including PAT strategies.
• Direct cross-functional hardware-software teams to develop and validate optical algorithms and hardware.
• Design and validate end-to-end optical communication pipeline from data interface to optical front-end.
• Oversee selection, integration, and testing of lasers, modulators, detectors, and pointing mechanisms.
• Perform detailed link budget, modeling, and simulation under various conditions.
• Evolve designs to meet new mission requirements and reduce cost.
• Develop test infrastructure and execute component/system validation tests.
• Collaborate with systems, avionics, and software teams for spacecraft bus integration.
• Create and maintain comprehensive design docs and interfaces.

Skills

Optical engineering

Satellite communications

Team leadership

Link budget analysis

DSP/FPGA experience

Education

Bachelor of Science in Optical/related field

Tools

Zemax

Code V

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer to own and evolve a space-based optical link design for a global satellite constellation. You will lead a multidisciplinary team to develop pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies ensuring best-in-class performance.

Responsibilities include end-to-end optical pipeline design, component testing, and collaboration with systems and software teams for spacecraft bus integration.