Principal Space Vehicle Autonomy Architect

Blue Origin; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Paid parental leave

Education support program

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Principal Space Vehicle Autonomy Architect to drive on-orbit autonomy strategies across vehicle, sensor/payload, and ground elements. You will lead trade studies, proposal development for national security and civil government customers, and coordinate with GNC, ATX, and Flight Software teams to define mission-level autonomy requirements.

You will guide end-to-end autonomy from initialization to deorbit, mentor teams, and ensure rigorous verification and testing while

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area.
• 10+ years of technical experience developing space mission design and autonomous systems.
• 10+ years of technical experience in the space autonomy domain, including on-orbit autonomous operations, relative navigation, orbital mechanics, and multi-spacecraft coordination.
• Strong background developing space autonomy CONOPs, requirements, and interface description documents.
• Demonstrated experience with fleet-level autonomy and/or RPO throughout the mission design lifecycle.
• Applied experience in autonomy and mission design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, STK, FreeFlyer, GMAT, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with customers and teams to identify and track cross-functional autonomy deliverables.
• Author proposal documents targeting national security, civil government, and commercial entities for on-orbit autonomous operations.
• Coordinate with GNC, ATX, Flight Software, Telecommunications, and Sensor/Payload teams for detailed trade studies.
• Establish goals and metrics to improve autonomy performance on cost, performance, and schedule.
• Inform autonomy performance and operations for scheduled missions and ConOps development.
• Lead development of on-orbit autonomy architectures including rendezvous and multi-spacecraft coordination.
• Create full lifecycle autonomy concepts including initialization, in-orbit operations, OTA updates, and end-of-life planning.
• Develop high-level verification and testing processes to ensure requirement compliance.
• Mentor across the program to implement autonomy approaches and advance team capabilities.
• Support autonomous operations during live missions with real-time monitoring and anomaly response.

Skills

Space mission design

Autonomy strategies

Fleet-level autonomy

Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO

Leadership & mentorship

Communication skills

System engineering coordination

Security clearance readiness

Education

B.S. in Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

STK

FreeFlyer

GMAT

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!

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

As part of a hardworking team of diverse specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will provide leadership across organizations, working end-to-end across vehicle, sensor/payload, and ground elements to create autonomous space systems solutions. The Principal Space Vehicle Autonomy Architect is responsible for formulating on-orbit autonomy strategies for Blue National Security, including Blue Ring and constellation product lines. You will be a primary participant in trade studies and proposal development for national security customers, civil government agencies, and commercial entities pursuing advanced on-orbit operations. You will interface with defense and civil-space stakeholders on autonomy-related topics, including coordination of capability roadmaps, development of mission-level requirements, and oversight of implementation and test activities. You will provide subject matter expertise in fleet-level autonomous operations, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), and other critical autonomy needs during algorithm development and flight operations.

We're looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact the future of space. Passion for our mission and vision is required. Successful candidates will have a strong technical background, be detail driven, and have excellent problem-solving abilities. You should be passionate about delivering extensible, timely solutions while contributing to the development of high-performance teams through meticulous goal-setting, disciplined attention to performance metrics, and continuous process improvement.

Special Mentions

• Preferred Location: Any Blue Origin location, including Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; Space Coast, FL; Reston, VA; Huntsville, AL, or Kent, WA (Seattle area) offices.
• Relocation: Relocation assistance is available for candidates relocating to one of the primary Blue Origin office locations
• Travel: Up to 25% travel may be required depending on work location and program needs.
• Clearance: An active TS//SCI is strongly preferred though not required.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with customers, stakeholders, systems engineering, architecture, hardware, and software teams to ensure cross-functional autonomy deliverables are identified and tracked
• Author proposal documents targeting national security customers, civil government agencies, and commercial entities pursuing advanced on-orbit autonomous operations
• Coordinate with Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC), Astrodynamics and Trajectory Execution (ATX), Flight Software, Telecommunications, and Sensor/Payload teams to perform detailed trade studies for autonomous maneuver planning, RPO sequencing, and fleet-level coordination
• Establish goals and metrics to identify opportunities to deliver autonomous system solutions to cost, performance, and schedule requirements
• Assess fleet-level autonomy and RPO performance against current and future mission scenarios to align with company and customer needs, including coordinated observation, spectrum / beam management, network / mesh routing, and graceful degradation
• Inform autonomy performance, risk, and operations for scheduled missions, including ConOps development, ground systems feasibility, and human-machine teaming frameworks
• Lead the development of on-orbit autonomy architectures - including autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and multi-spacecraft coordination - encompassing requirements definition, trade studies, and roadmap planning
• Lead the definition & development of full lifecycle autonomy including initialization, service orbit attainment, predictive health & degradation monitoring, over-the-air software updates, and end-of-life / deorbit
• Create high-level verification and testing processes and procedures that ensure compliance to requirements.
• Mentor and train across the program to ensure autonomy approach, philosophy, and technology are understood and implemented to provide required capabilities and value to customers
• Support autonomous operations during live mission activities, including real-time monitoring of autonomous maneuver execution, anomaly response, and fleet state management

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area
• 10+ years of technical experience developing space mission design and autonomous systems
• 10+ years of technical experience in the space autonomy domain, including on-orbit autonomous operations, relative navigation, orbital mechanics, and multi-spacecraft coordination
• Strong background developing space autonomy CONOPs, requirements, and interface description documents to flow to element-level teams
• Demonstrated experience with fleet-level autonomy and/or rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) throughout the mission design lifecycle, from conceptualization through operational flight
• Applied experience in autonomy and mission design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, STK, FreeFlyer, GMAT, or equivalent
• Experience developing high-level plans for end-to-end integrated system tests occurring throughout a program's lifecycle
• Outstanding customer relationship skills, including the ability to discover requirements underlying feature requests, recommend alternative technical and business approaches, and lead engineering efforts to meet ambitious timelines with optimal solutions
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• 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 Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area
• 15+ years of proven experience focused on mission design and autonomous space systems
• Multiple spacecraft missions of operational autonomous flight support and/or leadership
• Applied expertise in relative navigation algorithms, including sensor fusion, optical/LIDAR-based proximity sensing, and state estimation for RPO applications
• Experience with autonomous mission planning and execution frameworks for multi-spacecraft or constellation operations
• Familiarity with national security space mission requirements, including Space Domain Awareness (SDA), on-orbit servicing, and responsive space operations
• Experience with AI/ML-based decision-making frameworks applied to on-orbit autonomy or fleet management
• Experience designing, analyzing, or operating autonomous systems in cislunar, GEO, or other high-energy orbital environments
• Active TS//SCI security clearance

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85CO applicants is $173,466.00 - $242,851.35WA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85VA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85

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