Payload Processing Software Engineer, Project Sunrise

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

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC in Denver, CO, is seeking a Payload Processing Software Engineer to own the onboard processing runtime for high‑performance workloads. You will integrate accelerator frameworks, optimize GPU‑based compute and ensure fault tolerance across intermittent satellite contacts.

You’ll design robust stateful systems, define job submission APIs, and build a benchmarking suite to characterize latency, throughput, and power tradeoffs on reference hardware.

Qualifications

• BS in CS/CE or related field required.
• 6+ years experience in HPC, distributed systems, or accelerator software.
• Strong knowledge of GPU architectures, memory bandwidth, and parallel models.
• Experience with fault-tolerant distributed systems in intermittent connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and implementation of the on-board payload processing runtime for diverse, high-performance workloads.
• Integrate, configure, and optimize accelerator compute frameworks and libraries, including defining workload optimization strategies for our orbital hardware.
• Design and write the core system code from scratch for robust workload checkpointing and state persistence to handle interruptions.
• Define the API contract for job submission and results delivery, collaborating with the compute orchestration team.
• Develop and maintain a performance benchmark suite on reference hardware to characterize throughput, latency, and power tradeoffs.

Skills

HPC experience

Distributed systems

Accelerator computing

Fault tolerance

Parallel programming

GPU architecture

Education

Bachelor of Science in CS/CE or related field

Master’s or PhD in relevant discipline

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CUDA

Profiling tools

Job description

## Payload Processing Software Engineer, Project SunriseApply: Denver, CO: Greater Seattle Area: Full time: Posted Today: R73615Application close date:Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design.*Join Blue Origin as we build infrastructure in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re developing a satellite constellation of orbital data centers, Sunrise, designed to transform how compute infrastructure is deployed and leveraged.*Our team is developing next-generation spacecraft that push the boundaries of performance and capability in orbit. We are seeking an experienced software engineer to own the payload processing runtime, the engine that drives our in-space computing capabilities. You will be responsible for integrating and optimizing modern parallel computing frameworks and solving one of the hardest software challenges in this domain: maintaining state and ensuring fault tolerance for jobs across intermittent satellite contact windows. If you are an expert in high-performance computing and are excited to build a resilient, computational platform, this role is for you.**Responsibilities include but are not limited to:*** Own the architecture and implementation of the on-board payload processing runtime for diverse, high-performance computational workloads.* Integrate, configure, and optimize accelerator compute frameworks and libraries, including defining workload optimization strategies for our orbital hardware.* Design and write the core system code from scratch for robust workload checkpointing and state persistence to handle planned and unplanned interruptions in connectivity.* Define the API contract for job submission and results delivery, collaborating with the compute orchestration team to establish schemas, latency SLAs, and error-handling semantics.* Develop and maintain a comprehensive performance benchmark suite on reference hardware to characterize throughput, latency, and power tradeoffs for various representative workloads.**Minimum Qualifications:*** Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.* 6+ years of experience in high-performance computing (HPC), distributed systems engineering, or accelerator-focused software development.* Direct, hands-on experience deploying and optimizing demanding, data-intensive applications on large-scale accelerated computing systems.* Strong understanding of accelerator architecture (e.g., GPUs), utilization metrics, memory bandwidth management, and parallel programming models.* Solid grasp of distributed systems fundamentals, particularly fault tolerance, consensus, and state management in environments with intermittent connectivity.* 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.**Preferred Qualifications:*** Master’s or Ph.D. in a relevant discipline.* 10+ years of relevant experience.* Deep experience with low-level performance tuning and optimization of accelerator kernels.* Proven ability to design and build complex, stateful, and resilient distributed systems.* Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies in a production environment.* Passion for and understanding of AI and Machine Learning applications in engineering, with a demonstrated ability to learn and integrate new technologies.### Base Pay Range for:CO applicants is $181,626.00 - $254,275.35WA applicants is $197,529.00 - $276,539.55**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. **Export Control Regulations**Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. **Background Check*** Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check* Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation* Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.* Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical **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.