Principal AI Compute Engineer, Project Sunrise Orbital Data Centers

Blue Origin LLC; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 219,000 - 306,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock options

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin in Colorado is seeking a Principal Engineer of Compute to own the strategy, architecture, deployment, and operation of the compute package on the spacecraft. You will grow the team and make design decisions across hardware and software stack with autonomy.

Responsibilities include end-to-end AI compute architecture, defining stack topology, scaling systems for the constellation, and collaborating with spacecraft, software, mission, launch, reliability, product, operations, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years in hyperscale/cloud infra, HPC, AI infra, or large-scale platform engineering.
• Significant experience deploying and operating large GPU clusters.
• Deep networking knowledge including vendor ecosystem understanding.
• Strong storage architectures for AI/HPC systems.
• Experience developing and shipping complex compute or electronic hardware.
• Experience in hardware domains such as embedded, avionics, HPC, FPGA/ASIC/GPU, or edge computing.
• Strong systems-architecture and hardware/software co-design skills.
• Experience commercializing data compute, AI, and cloud products.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end AI compute architecture from 0->1 and 1->n.
• Define architecture for the stack: GPU/CPU, networking, storage, orchestration, and cloud-platform.
• Establish infrastructure requirements for AI workloads.
• Define spacecraft network topology, storage architecture, and compute requirements.
• Build networking and storage systems that scale with the constellation.
• Establish test, validation, and qualification strategies for compute hardware with multiple teams.
• Work with software teams to define workload orchestration and resource management.
• Lead major supplier, component, and technology-partner decisions.

Skills

Hyperscale cloud infra

HPC

AI infrastructure

GPU cluster ops

Networking

Storage architecture

Hardware/software co-design

Space-grade compute

Cloud productization

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, CS or related

Job description

Application 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.

Job Summary

Join Blue Origin as we build infrastructure in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re developing a satellite constellation of orbital data centers to transform how compute infrastructure is deployed. As the Principal Engineer of Compute, you will own the strategy, architecture, deployment, and operation of the compute package and overall network architecture on the spacecraft. This role requires you to grow the team and operate with a high degree of autonomy, while managing multidisciplinary effort while making critical design decisions. You are a novel thinker who will find innovative approaches to challenging engineering problems. You will lead both hardware for the compute and associated software stack.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end AI compute architecture from 0->1 and then taking it 1->n.
• Define the architecture for the entire stack: GPU/CPU, networking, storage, orchestration, and the cloud-platform.
• Establish infrastructure requirements for AI workloads.
• Define spacecraft network topology, storage architecture, and overall compute related requirements.
• Build networking and storage systems that can scale with the constellation.
• Establish test, validation, and qualification strategies for compute hardware, integrating closely with spacecraft, software, mission, launch, reliability, product, operations, and finance teams.
• Work with software teams to define workload orchestration and resource management.
• Lead major supplier, component, and technology-partner decisions.
• This includes make/buy options and vertical integration.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: hyperscale/cloud infrastructure, High-Performance Computing (HPC), AI infrastructure, or large-scale platform engineering.
• Significant experience deploying and operating large GPU clusters.
• Deep networking knowledge including understanding of the vendor ecosystem.
• Strong understanding of storage architectures for AI/HPC systems.
• Experience developing and shipping complex compute or electronic hardware.
• Experience in at least one relevant hardware domain such as embedded systems, avionics, HPC, FPGA/ASIC/GPU systems, or distributed/edge computing.
• Strong systems-architecture and hardware/software co-design skills.
• Experience commercializing data compute, AI, and cloud products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with data center design, build out, and operation.
• Experience with software development lifecycles along with hardware/software co-design.
• Space, aerospace, or other high-reliability compute-system experience.
• Knowledge of radiation effects and mitigation approaches.
• Experience optimizing around size, weight, and power (SWaP).
• Familiarity with AI/ML accelerators or specialized edge-compute architectures.
• Hands on experience building your own AI platforms.
• Experience with mission- or safety-critical development and rigorous validation.
• Strong cross-functional leadership spanning software, spacecraft, and systems engineering.
• Familiarity or fluency with AI tools and their application for design optimization or analysis.
• Experience leading, growing, and managing teams of 8+ engineers.

Base Pay Range for: CO applicants is $218,520.00 - $305,926.95 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

• 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

• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on “Know Your Rights,” please see here. Aff...

Blue Origin was founded with a vision to enable a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth. In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes in the need to enable humanity to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space. Blue Origin believes it has an important role in building a road to space and lowering the cost of getting there. At Blue Origin, we’re working on this today by developing fully reusable launch vehicles and systems that are safe, reliable and affordable. Every launch vehicle is designed for human spaceflight from the beginning and able to ferry payloads to space.

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