Principal Control Systems Engineer, PAT Systems

Blue Origin LLC; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 231,000 - 323,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock options

Job summary

Blue Origin in Seattle is seeking a Principal Control Systems Engineer to own the PAT control architecture for the TeraWave pointing, acquisition and tracking system across satellite payloads and ground stations. You will lead a team of controls engineers, driving high bandwidth tracking, rapid link acquisition, and integration across optics, mechanisms, avionics, and network operations.

You will guide control algorithm implementation in flight software and hardware platforms, collaborate with

Qualifications

• MS in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in control systems design for precision electro-optical or opto-mechanical systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the end to end PAT control architecture for TeraWave optical inter satellite and space to ground terminals.
• Define control requirements, error budgets, and key performance metrics, including pointing accuracy and acquisition time.
• Lead trade studies evaluating pointing mechanisms, sensors, and control topologies for terminal designs.
• Design and validate control loops for fine beam steering, coarse pointing, and beacon acquisition.
• Develop acquisition strategies, including scan patterns, dwell time optimization, and satellite to ground handover procedures.
• Implement control algorithms in flight software, FPGA and SoC platforms, and MATLAB or Simulink simulation environments.
• Integrate PAT control with spacecraft ADCS, avionics, timing systems, and the network control plane.
• Build and maintain dynamic models of PAT subsystems, covering mechanisms, actuators, sensors, and structural modes.
• Lead PAT test campaigns and on-orbit commissioning, including anomaly investigation and performance optimization.
• Collaborate across disciplines with optical, mechanical, thermal, structural, and avionics engineers.

Skills

Control theory

Real-time control

Embedded platforms

C/C++

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

Team leadership

System integration

Education

MS in Electrical Engineering

MS in Aerospace Engineering

MS in Mechanical Engineering

PhD preferred

Tools

FPGA/SoC

RTOS

Job description

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! 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.

The Role As Principal Control Systems Engineer for the Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking system, you will serve as the technical authority for the control architecture, algorithms, and implementation of pointing, acquisition, and tracking for TeraWave optical terminals, spanning both satellite payloads and ground stations. You will own the PAT control strategy from concept through flight operations, driving high bandwidth tracking, rapid link acquisition, and integration across optics, mechanisms, avionics, and network operations. This is a hands on technical leadership role with direct impact on link availability, data throughput, and overall system performance for a constellation that customers depend on for data center interconnects. You will lead a focused team of controls engineers while working in close partnership with optical, mechanical, thermal, avionics, and systems engineering disciplines.

Relocation assistance is provided for this role. This role requires up to 25 percent travel.

Blue Origin is committed to building a diverse team.

Responsibilities

• Own the end to end PAT control architecture for TeraWave optical inter satellite and space to ground terminals.
• Define control requirements, error budgets, and key performance metrics, including pointing accuracy and acquisition time.
• Lead trade studies evaluating pointing mechanisms, sensors, and control topologies for terminal designs.
• Design and validate control loops for fine beam steering, coarse pointing, and beacon acquisition.
• Develop acquisition strategies, including scan patterns, dwell time optimization, and satellite to ground handover procedures.
• Implement control algorithms in flight software, FPGA and SoC platforms, and MATLAB or Simulink simulation environments.
• Integrate PAT control with spacecraft ADCS, avionics, timing systems, and the network control plane.
• Build and maintain dynamic models of PAT subsystems, covering mechanisms, actuators, sensors, and structural modes.
• Lead PAT test campaigns and on-orbit commissioning, including anomaly investigation and performance optimization.
• Collaborate across disciplines with optical, mechanical, thermal, structural, and avionics engineers.

Minimum Qualifications

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• 12 or more years of experience in control systems design for precision electro-optical or opto-mechanical systems.
• 5 or more years of experience in a lead engineering role with ownership of complex subsystems.
• Expertise in classical and modern control theory, including state space, LQR/LQG, H infinity, and robust or adaptive control.
• Experience with real time control implementation on embedded platforms using C, C++, FPGA/SoC, or RTOS.
• Experience with high fidelity modeling and simulation of multi body dynamics and optical pointing systems.
• Experience with pointing and tracking systems for laser communications, telescopes, or comparable high precision applications.
• Experience with sensor fusion using optical trackers, IMUs, or encoders, and multi-rate control loop design.
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and/or C/C++ for control design, simulation, and data analysis.
• 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

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Experience with space qualified hardware and processes, including design for thermal vacuum, vibration, and radiation environments.
• Background in free space optical communications or satellite communications, including link budgets and atmospheric turbulence modeling.
• Experience with adaptive optics or tip/tilt control for ground based optical systems.
• Familiarity with safety and quality standards applicable to space hardware development and long life reliability.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts across disciplines and to senior leadership.
• Track record of delivering flight hardware or fielded systems from concept through operations.

Base Pay Range for: WA applicants is $230,773.00 - $323,081.85

Other site ranges may differ

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.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s affirmative action plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.

We’re committed to building the road to space so our children can build the future. We are a mission-driven company focused on ideas and innovation, and encourage fresh perspectives from bold voices. At Blue, our team is building the future as their unique selves.

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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