Senior Power Electronics Engineer – Power Distribution - TeraWave

Blue Origin LLC; United States; On-site; USD 144,000 - 202,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Stock options

Paid time off

401(k) with company match

Education support program

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC is seeking a Senior Power Electronics Engineer focused on Power Distribution for the TeraWave spacecraft. You will own the Dual Voltage Distribution Box from requirements through production release, balancing reliability with cost and manufacturability for thousands of units.

The role requires leading hardware design, qualification, and production transition, serving as the technical authority across integration and flight campaigns.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering with 7+ years hardware experience.
• Power distribution architectures in spacecraft or high-reliability apps.
• Design for multi-voltage/dual-bus systems above 50V with load management.
• Hardware qualification campaigns per MIL-STD 1540 / ECSS-E-ST-10-03.
• Radiation-tolerant/hardened design practices for space environments.
• US citizen/national/Green Card or equivalent for export-controlled data.

Responsibilities

• Lead circuit design for the Dual Voltage Distribution Box with SSPCs and switching.
• Define load switch sequencing and fault response with Fault Management teams.
• Own DVDB telemetry architecture and health monitoring interfaces.
• Develop DVDB hardware requirements, ICDs, and design specs with systems engineering.
• Drive FMEA/FMECA activities and single-point failure elimination.
• Optimize DVDB for high-rate manufacturing with DFM/DFT.
• Define/transition ATE from development to production for rate manufacturing.
• Develop hardware qualification plans per MIL-STD-1540 or equivalent.
• Serve as technical authority during vehicle integration and flight tests.
• Maintain the complete DVDB design package in the PLM system.

Skills

Power electronics design

Spacecraft hardware

Hardware qualification

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field

Tools

Altium Designer

LTspice

Windchill PLM

Job description

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 communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide. Join Blue Origin's TeraWave Spacecraft Bus team as a Senior Power Electronics Engineer focused on Power Distribution. You will serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for the Dual Voltage Distribution Box (DVDB) — a flight-critical component at the heart of the spacecraft's Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS). The DVDB distributes and protects power across two voltage domains, providing switchable outputs, fault isolation, load management, and health telemetry to every powered subsystem on the vehicle. It touches nearly every interface on the spacecraft, making it one of the most integration-intensive and reliability-sensitive designs in the EPS. This is a full product ownership role. You will drive the DVDB from requirements definition through circuit design, qualification, and production release — and you will do it at constellation scale. TeraWave operates at a production rate of thousands of units, which means your design decisions directly impact manufacturing yield, unit cost, test throughput, and schedule. This is not a flagship mission environment where schedule is measured in years and cost is secondary. You will be expected to balance rigorous space-grade reliability with aggressive cost and manufacturability targets simultaneously, and to thrive in that tension.

Responsibilities

• Lead circuit design for the Dual Voltage Distribution Box, including solid-state power controllers (SSPCs), relay-based switching, overcurrent protection, in-rush current limiting, and fault isolation across both voltage domains of the spacecraft power bus
• Define load switch sequencing, priority shedding logic, and fault response behavior in coordination with the Fault Management and C&DH teams
• Own the DVDB telemetry architecture — including current, voltage, and switch state monitoring — and define avionics interfaces for health monitoring and commanding
• Derive and maintain DVDB hardware requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), and design specifications in coordination with systems engineering and adjacent subsystems including thermal, structures, harness, avionics, and all powered loads
• Participate in FMEA/FMECA activities and drive single-point failure elimination throughout the design
• Optimize the DVDB design for high-rate manufacturing, including component commonality, DFM/DFT compliance, and unit cost targets without compromising reliability or performance
• Define and transition Automated Test Equipment (ATE) from development to production, including load switching verification and fault coverage validation for rate manufacturing
• Develop and execute hardware qualification plans per MIL-STD-1540, SMC-S-016, or equivalent standards, and lead anomaly investigation and resolution
• Serve as the technical authority for the DVDB during vehicle integration and flight acceptance test campaigns across all powered interfaces
• Own and maintain the complete DVDB design package — schematics, PCB layouts, BOMs, drawings, and analysis reports — within the PLM configuration management system

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field, plus 7 or more years of hands‑on electronics hardware development experience
• Demonstrated design experience with power distribution architectures — including solid‑state power controllers (SSPCs), relay switching, overcurrent protection, and fault isolation — in a spacecraft or high‑reliability application
• Design experience with multi‑voltage or dual‑bus power systems above 50V, including load management, in‑rush current mitigation, and switch sequencing
• Hands‑on experience leading or substantially contributing to a hardware qualification campaign per MIL‑STD‑1540, SMC‑S‑016, ECSS‑E‑ST‑10‑03, or a directly comparable standard, including test plan development and anomaly resolution
• Experience with radiation‑tolerant or radiation‑hardened design practices for space environments, including component selection and total ionizing dose (TID) analysis
• Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum — required for access to export‑controlled technical data

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• 9 or more years of power electronics or power systems development experience for space or other harsh environments
• Experience with dual‑bus or multi‑voltage distribution architectures and cross‑strapping strategies for fault tolerance and load flexibility
• Experience with current sensing, telemetry calibration, and health monitoring integration for distributed power systems
• Experience in high‑rate production electronics environments, including DFM/DFT optimization, production test development, and yield improvement
• Experience designing and integrating power electronics with mechanical structures for thermal management
• Proficiency with Altium Designer (or comparable tool) for schematic capture and PCB layout
• Proficiency with LTspice or a comparable SPICE‑based simulation tool for circuit analysis
• Experience with Windchill PLM or an equivalent configuration management system
• Experience with EMI/EMC design and compliance per MIL‑STD‑461 or equivalent
• Background in safety‑critical systems development across aerospace, automotive, medical, or defense applications
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to author specifications, analysis reports, and test plans independently

Base Pay Range

Base Pay Range for: CO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90 WA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45 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

• 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 Affiantative Action 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. We’re committed to building the road to space so our children can build the future. We are a mission‑driven company focused on ideas and innovation, and encourage fresh perspectives from bold voices. At Blue, our team is building the future as their unique selves.

Thank you for your interest in working at Blue Origin! Blue Origin was founded with a vision to enable a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth. In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes in the need to enable humanity to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space. Blue Origin believes it has an important role in building a road to space and lowering the cost of getting there. At Blue Origin, we’re working on this today by developing fully reusable launch vehicles and systems that are safe, reliable and affordable. Every launch vehicle is designed for human spaceflight from the beginning and able to ferry payloads to space.

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