Senior Photonics Engineer — Space Optical Communications

Blue Origin; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 144,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation provided

Travel up to 10%

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Photonics Engineer to lead optical architecture for OISL terminals on a classified beyond-LEO mission. You will design, develop, and validate fiber optic and photonic avionics for spaceflight environments and mentor junior engineers.

Role involves cross-functional collaboration, environmental testing, and adherence to NASA/MIL-STD standards. Relocation provided; travel up to 10% of time, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years hands-on experience in photonics or electro-optical systems engineering.
• Experience with fiber optic components, laser systems, photodetectors, or integrated photonic circuits.
• Experience designing systems for aerospace or spaceflight environments (vibration, thermal, radiation).
• Proficiency with optical simulation tools (e.g., Zemax, COMSOL, OptiSystem, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with requirements development, verification & validation, and configuration management.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident required.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate fiber optic and photonic-based avionics systems, including optical communication links, and laser-based systems.
• Lead the architecture and integration of photonic components into Blue Ring's avionics suite, ensuring compliance with mission performance and environmental requirements.
• Design space-grade photonic subsystems tolerant of radiation, thermal cycling, and vacuum environments.
• Perform optical and photonic system modeling, link budget analysis, and performance trade studies.
• Conduct environmental and reliability analysis (radiation effects, thermal, mechanical) on photonic components.
• Develop and execute test plans for photonic hardware qualification and acceptance testing.
• Support FMEA/FMECA and fault tree analysis for photonic avionics subsystems.
• Work cross-functionally with navigation, GNC, RF/communications, structures, and systems engineering teams.
• Interface with suppliers and vendors to select and qualify photonic components for spaceflight.
• Support CDR, PDR, and other milestone reviews with technical documentation and presentations.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team technical growth.
• Author and maintain engineering documentation including design specifications, ICDs, test procedures, and verification reports.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable NASA, MIL-STD, and Blue Origin standards.

Skills

Photonics engineering

Optical systems

Spaceflight hardware

Radiation-hardened design

Optical simulation

Education

B.S. in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Zemax

COMSOL

OptiSystem

Job description

Blue Origin seeks a Senior Photonics Engineer to lead optical architecture for OISL terminals on a classified beyond-LEO mission. You will design, develop, and validate fiber optic and photonic avionics for spaceflight environments and mentor junior engineers.

Role involves cross-functional collaboration, environmental testing, and adherence to NASA/MIL-STD standards. Relocation provided; travel up to 10% of time, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required.