Principal Modem PHY IP Architect – Terawave

Blue Origin; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 269,175 - 376,843; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Principal Modem PHY IP Design Engineer to design and develop modem PHY IP for the Terawave program across ASIC and prototyping platforms. You will translate system requirements into PHY specifications, develop models, and perform performance analyses for high‑throughput wireless solutions.

The role requires deep knowledge of digital communications, strong implementation skills in hardware architectures, and collaboration with systems, ASIC, RF, verification, FPGA, firmware,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in wireless communications, modem PHY design, DSP, or ASIC/FPGA-based baseband development.
• Strong background in digital communications theory and modem implementation.
• Experience in OFDM, synchronization, channel estimation, equalization, FEC, fixed-point analysis, MIMO/beamforming.
• Proficiency with MATLAB, Python, C/C++, or similar tools for modeling and simulation.
• Experience translating algorithms into hardware-oriented architectures for ASIC/FPGA implementation.
• Ability to work across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced development environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop modem PHY IP for Terawave ASIC and prototyping platforms.
• Contribute to PHY algorithm development and hardware architecture for functions such as modulation/demodulation, timing/frequency synchronization, channel estimation, equalization, FEC integration, MIMO/beamforming, and impairment mitigation.
• Translate system and link requirements into implementation-ready PHY block specifications.
• Develop floating-point, fixed-point, and bit-accurate models for modem PHY functions.
• Perform performance analysis and trade studies across throughput, latency, area, and power.
• Collaborate with architecture and RTL teams to partition algorithms into efficient hardware implementations.
• Support interface definition and subsystem integration for PHY IP within the broader modem/baseband architecture.
• Collaborate with verification teams to define test strategies, reference models, and coverage plans.
• Analyze simulation, emulation, FPGA, lab, and silicon data to debug design issues and improve PHY performance.
• Support bring-up and validation of modem PHY features in FPGA prototypes and silicon.
• Document design decisions and performance results.
• Work with internal teams and external design partners to drive execution.

Skills

Wireless communications

DSP

Modem design

Algorithm translation to hardware

Cross-functional collaboration

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

Digital communications theory

Debugging

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related technical field

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

Job description

Blue Origin seeks a Principal Modem PHY IP Design Engineer to design and develop modem PHY IP for the Terawave program across ASIC and prototyping platforms. You will translate system requirements into PHY specifications, develop models, and perform performance analyses for high‑throughput wireless solutions.

The role requires deep knowledge of digital communications, strong implementation skills in hardware architectures, and collaboration with systems, ASIC, RF, verification, FPGA, firmware,