Principal Technical Program Manager - TeraWave Ground Infrastructure

Frontdoor Defense; Washington; On-site; USD 198,000 - 277,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options for regular employees

Paid time off

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager for the TeraWave Ground Infrastructure. You will own the end-to-end design, deployment, and scalable operation of terrestrial networking connected to a global satellite constellation.

You will lead cross-functional teams across software, hardware, and operations, manage dependencies and risks, and drive major system capabilities while coordinating with engineering leaders to deliver critical network infrastructure at scale.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of technical program management or equivalent leadership in software engineering environments.
• Experience leading complex, multi-team software programs from planning through release and deployment.
• Experience developing and managing integrated roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, risks, and critical paths.
• Experience coordinating software delivery with hardware, embedded systems, or other tightly coupled engineering organizations.

Responsibilities

• Manage deployment strategy for scaling the TeraWave global IP/MPLS backbone and PoPs.
• Scale global footprint by deploying PoPs at IXPs and data centers; establish direct peering policies.
• Oversee physical site selection, real estate, and civil/facility engineering for data centers and facilities.
• Drive regulatory compliance and cross-border approvals for international site deployments.

Skills

Multi-team program leadership

Roadmap planning

Cross-functional coordination

Software-hardware integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM fields

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Principal Technical Program Manager - TeraWave Ground Infrastructure

Own end-to-end deployment and scaling of the TeraWave ground infrastructure globally

Location: Seattle, Washington, Cupertino, California

Compensation: $197,849 - 276,988 USD / year

About The Role

Principal Technical Program Manager

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 connectivity with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations.

As a Principal Technical Program Manager within the TeraWave Network Ground Infrastructure organization, you will manage the end-to-end design, deployment, and operational scaling of our high-capacity terrestrial and ground networking architecture including the physical and logical fabric connecting our next-generation satellite constellation to the global internet, operating entirely at the intersection of carrier-grade networking, high-speed packet processing, and global data center/ PoP deployments.

You will own the integrated network software roadmap and execution plan, establish scalable planning and delivery mechanisms, and drive alignment across software, hardware, systems engineering, integration, and operational partners. You will work closely with engineering leaders and technical teams to identify critical-path dependencies, resolve ambiguity, manage program risk, and deliver major system capabilities.

This role is based in Seattle, WA, or Cupertino, CA.

Responsibilities

• Manage the deployment strategy for scaling the TeraWave global IP/MPLS backbone, bridging gateway locations, core PoPs, and SatOps facilities. Spearhead the global transit strategy by negotiating tier-1 IP transit partnerships, dark fiber leases, and high-capacity transport circuits.
• Scale our global footprint by deploying Points of Presence (PoPs) within major Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and carrier-neutral data centers worldwide, establishing direct peering policies to minimize user latency and optimize cost-per-bit. Drive the physical deployment of hardware rack elevations, including power distribution (AC/DC), thermal management, cabling standards, and top-of-rack (ToR) switch integration.
• Manage the physical site selection, real estate acquisition, and civil/facility engineering lifecycle for gateway earth station data centers and SatOps facilities. Direct multi-disciplinary teams through the physical build-out of technical spaces, managing vendor relationships, colocation agreements, and enterprise-scale hardware procurement cycles globally.
• Drive country-specific regulatory compliance, telecommunications licensing, and cross-border legal approvals required for international site deployments.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related STEM field.
• 10 or more years of technical program management or equivalent program leadership experience working with software engineering organizations.
• Experience leading complex, multi-team software programs from planning through integration, release, and operational deployment.
• Experience developing and managing integrated roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, risks, and critical paths.
• Experience coordinating software delivery with hardware, silicon, embedded systems, or other tightly coupled engineering organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related STEM field.
• Experience delivering networking, telecommunications, aerospace, embedded systems, or large-scale distributed-system programs.
• Experience managing programs that span cloud software, embedded software, networking hardware, and operational infrastructure.
• Familiarity with networking concepts such as routing, switching, wireless systems, Software-Defined Networking, or network management and orchestration.
• Experience using tools such as Jira and Confluence to support planning, dependency management, and organizational reporting.
• Experience operating in a fast-paced development environment with evolving requirements and aggressive delivery timelines.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical teams, engineering leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $197,849.00 - $276,987.90; WA applicants is $197,849.00 - $276,987.90

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

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 Affympt 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.