Principal Emulation & Prototyping Engineer

Blue Origin; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 323,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Blue Origin’s Emerging Systems unit is developing a ground-up pre-silicon emulation and prototyping platform for high-throughput satellite communications. You will lead RTL, FPGA, and emulation toolflows while coordinating with RF, DSP, and lab teams to validate end-to-end signal paths and data integrity on real hardware.

The role emphasizes building scalable build/integration workflows, evaluating emulation/prototyping platforms, and delivering nightly image services with thorough documentation

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on FPGA toolchains and emulation platforms experience.
• Strong RTL skills in SystemVerilog/Verilog and debugging.
• Experience defining and deploying FPGA prototyping or emulation flows.
• Proficiency in Tcl, Python for build automation and CI.
• Experience lab bring-up, test instrumentation, and debug.
• Ability to work across cross-site, multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and build Blue Origin's pre-silicon emulation and prototyping capability from the ground up.
• Develop platform strategy, flows, and infrastructure; lead tradeoff studies for capacity, build turnaround, debug visibility, and cost.
• Evaluate platform choices, including Palladium, Veloce, ZeBu, Protium, and HAPS; advise on boards and custom solutions.
• Own end-to-end build flow: partitioning, synthesis, constraints, implementation, timing closure for large designs.
• Adapt designs for platform: clock/reset restructuring, memory model substitution, IP replacement with platform equivalents.
• Define rate-reduction strategy for DSP/beamforming prototyping; establish fidelity criteria.
• Build hardware-in-the-loop platforms connecting DSP/beamforming datapaths to real converters, RF front ends, and antennas.
• Establish a nightly build service with versioning, release notes, and rollback; define qualification tests.
• Develop transactors, speed bridges, host-side software, and test harnesses connecting designs to models and lab equipment.
• Manage platform capacity, scheduling, and allocation; forecast needs against milestones.
• Debug at platform level: signal capture, waveform tracing, transaction-level debug; triage failures with teams.
• Collaborate with RF, antenna, and DSP teams on lab integration and end-to-end validation.
• Produce user documentation and onboarding material.

Skills

SystemVerilog

FPGA prototyping

Tcl scripting

Python scripting

RTL debugging

CI integration

Education

BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering

MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering

PhD in related field

Tools

Palladium

Veloce

ZeBu

Protium

HAPS

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!

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.

Job Description

The Emerging Systems business unit at 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 5,408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide

The digital system comprises two ASICs: a high-throughput modem and a DSP-intensive digital beamforming (DBF) chip, with first tapeout targeted for 2027. This is Blue Origin's first in-house silicon, which means the development strategy, methodology, and infrastructure are being defined now - and we are hiring senior engineers and technical leads to define them.

Our strategy treats constrained-random simulation, formal methods, and pre-silicon hardware platforms as equal first-class tools, with dedicated engineers for each. This role owns the hardware platforms end to end, across two complementary capabilities:

• Emulationprimary targeting pre-silicon vehicle for design and verification bring-up,
• FPGA prototypingdriving DSP and beamforming datapaths against real data converters, RF front ends, antenna hardware, and lab instrumentation at scaled sample rates.

You will define the platform strategy, select and deploy the hardware, build the flows, and stand up a nightly image service that the rest of the program runs on - because none of it exists today.

Wireless communications experience is welcome but not required. If you want to define methodology and tooling rather than consume someone else's, that opportunity is genuinely available here.

Responsibilities

• Define and build Blue Origin's pre-silicon emulation and prototyping capability from the ground up.
• Develop platform strategy, flows, and infrastructure, and lead tradeoff studies covering capacity, build turnaround, debug visibility, and cost.
• Evaluate and recommend platform choices, including commercial emulation systems (e.g., Palladium, Veloce, ZeBu), commercial prototyping systems (e.g., Protium, HAPS), off-the-shelf boards, and custom board solutions.
• Own the end-to-end build flow: partitioning, synthesis, constraints, implementation, and timing closure for large SoC and subsystem designs across single- and multi-FPGA targets.
• Adapt designs for the platform, including clock and reset restructuring, memory model substitution, and replacement of hard IP with platform equivalents.
• Define the rate-reduction strategy for DSP and beamforming prototyping - decimation, clock ratios, reduced beam and element counts - and establish, with architecture and modeling, the fidelity criteria that show a scaled slice is representative of the full design.
• Build hardware-in-the-loop platforms connecting DSP and beamforming datapaths to real converters, RF front ends, and antenna hardware, including data converter interfacing, coherent multi-channel clock distribution, and latency-deterministic data paths.
• Establish and operate a nightly build service producing qualified images on a predictable cadence, with versioning, release notes, and rollback, and define the qualification tests that validate each image before release.
• Develop transactors, speed bridges, host-side software, and test harnesses that connect designs to reference models, test equipment, and real-world interfaces.
• Manage platform capacity, scheduling, and allocation across competing users, and forecast future capacity needs against program milestones.
• Debug at platform level - signal capture, waveform tracing, transaction-level debug - and triage failures with design and verification teams to isolate root cause.
• Partner with RF, antenna, and DSP teams on lab integration, calibration, and end-to-end signal chain validation.
• Produce and maintain user documentation, onboarding material, and usage guidance so teams can operate independently.

Basic Qualifications

• BS+10, MS+8, or PhD+6 years in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA implementation tools and flows (synthesis, constraints, place and route, timing closure)andwith commercial emulation platforms.
• Strong hands-on RTL skills in SystemVerilog or Verilog, including the ability to read, modify, and debug production RTL you did not author.
• Experience defining and deploying FPGA prototyping or emulation flows, including build automation and release management.
• Experience bringing up large digital designs on FPGA or emulation platforms.
• Proficiency in Tcl, Python, or similar scripting for build automation, flow development, and CI integration.
• Experience with lab and board-level bring-up and debug, using on-chip probes, waveform capture, and lab instrumentation.
• Experience supporting internal users of a shared platform or flow, including triage, documentation, and direct technical support.
• Ability to work effectively across cross-site, multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in space-based communications, wireless communications, or modem/baseband hardware.
• Experience prototyping DSP or communications datapaths, including LDPC/FEC, framing, or beamforming logic.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces on FPGA - JESD204B/C, multi-gigabit transceivers, DDR memory controllers, PCIe, or Ethernet.
• Experience with mixed-signal or RF lab integration, including data converter interfacing, coherent clocking and jitter budgets, and instrumentation-driven test.
• Experience with host-side software development (C/C++, DPI, SCE-MI) for transactors, speed bridges, and test harnesses.
• Experience bringing up embedded processors and boot flows on FPGA, including ARM-based SoC FPGAs or soft-core processors.
• Familiarity with advanced verification methodology, sufficient to reuse and adapt simulation content on platform.
• Experience applying AI/ML or LLM-based tooling to build triage, log analysis, or flow automation.

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $230,398.00 - $322,556.85

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.

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 Affir… and applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us [e-mail]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.