Senior Space Optical Communications Engineer – Sunrise

Blue Origin; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 182,000 - 277,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock Options

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer to own and evolve an existing optical communications design for a cutting-edge satellite constellation. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of hardware and software engineers to develop pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies for reliable space-based laser links.

You will drive detailed link-budget analyses, validation testing, and interface with the spacecraft bus, systems, and avionics teams.

Qualifications

• BS in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics or related field.
• 5+ years in design and development of optical communication systems.
• Experience leading or directing small cross-functional teams.
• Proven experience with optical comms for satellite constellations or aerospace applications.
• Strong understanding of PAT systems and algorithm development.
• Proficiency in optical link budget and performance analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, analysis, and optimization of free-space optical comms with robust PAT and failover strategies.
• Direct cross-functional hardware/software teams to develop and validate optical comms algorithms and hardware.
• Design and validate end-to-end optical communication pipeline from data interface to optical front-end.
• Oversee selection, integration, and testing of lasers, modulators, detectors, and pointing mechanisms.
• Perform detailed link budget modeling and simulation under varying conditions including jitter and pointing errors.
• Evolve existing designs to meet new mission requirements and reduce cost.
• Develop test infrastructure and execute test plans for component and system validation.

Skills

Optical Eng

PAT

Satellite comms

Team leadership

Link budget

FPGA/DSP

Education

Bachelor of Science in Optical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor in Physics

Tools

Zemax

Code V

MATLAB/Simulink

FPGA/DSP toolchains

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer to own and evolve an existing optical communications design for a cutting-edge satellite constellation. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of hardware and software engineers to develop pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies for reliable space-based laser links.

You will drive detailed link-budget analyses, validation testing, and interface with the spacecraft bus, systems, and avionics teams.