Principal Optical SDR & Space Communications Architect

Blue Origin; Virginia; On-site; USD 170,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Stock Options

Paid Time Off

Education Support Program

Job summary

Blue Origin's Blue National Security team seeks a Principal Optical Terminal Communications Software Architect to lead design and integration of SDR terminal software and optical links. You will shape scalable software architectures powering mission-critical space systems.

Work with cross-functional teams across software, hardware, and firmware to drive reviews, ensure safety and reliability, and implement secure OTA updates for spacecraft, while advancing build systems and verification

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical field; 10+ years embedded and app software experience.
• Strong C/C++ and Python knowledge; expertise in SDR, optical comms, and mission-critical systems.
• Experience with software lifecycle, CI/CD, verification/validation, and safety practices.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, verify, and integrate software for SDR terminals and optical links.
• Define reusable software frameworks supporting multiple waveforms and configurations.
• Lead design reviews, code reviews, and trade studies for performance and fault tolerance.
• Collaborate with systems, hardware, and firmware to translate requirements into architecture.
• Develop OTA software updates with authentication, rollback, and on-orbit deployment considerations.
• Support SIL/HIL testing and build CI/CD pipelines; author architecture docs and test procedures.

Skills

Embedded software development

System architecture design

Technical leadership

C/C++ proficiency

Python proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering

Tools

C/C++

Python

CI/CD

CAN / TCP/IP

I2C/SPI

Job description

Blue Origin's Blue National Security team seeks a Principal Optical Terminal Communications Software Architect to lead design and integration of SDR terminal software and optical links. You will shape scalable software architectures powering mission-critical space systems.

Work with cross-functional teams across software, hardware, and firmware to drive reviews, ensure safety and reliability, and implement secure OTA updates for spacecraft, while advancing build systems and verification