Senior Wireless Software Engineer – MAC Data Plane – TeraWave

Blue Origin LLC; United States; On-site; USD 249,000 - 348,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Stock options

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design real-time MAC data-path software for the TeraWave satellite network. You will implement high‑performance, timing‑sensitive code in C/C++ and work across PHY, modem, FPGA, and system engineers to meet stringent throughput and latency goals.

You will optimize memory movement, develop telemetry, and ensure reliable delivery across dynamic LEO/MEO environments, contributing from architecture through hardware integration to deployment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field and 7+ years in software development for wireless, embedded, or high‑performance packet processing.
• Strong C/C++ expertise with timing‑sensitive software on Linux/RTOS.
• Experience with high‑throughput data paths and embedded hardware integration.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement real-time MAC data‑plane software for satellite links.
• Translate MAC scheduling into timed transmit/receive operations with hardware.
• Develop packet processing pipelines, queues, buffers, and QoS handling.
• Support retransmission, sequence tracking, loss recovery, and in‑order delivery.
• Integrate software with PHY, modem firmware, FPGAs, and SoCs.
• Optimize memory movement with zero‑copy buffers, scatter‑gather I/O, and lock‑free queues.
• Build telemetry and diagnose timing, synchronization, and performance issues.
• Deliver data‑plane capabilities from prototype to deployment.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Real-time software development

Linux/RTOS development

High-performance networking concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

DPDK

io_uring

FPGAs/DSPs

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! 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.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the TeraWave Software and Networking Team, you design and implement the real-time data-path software for a custom Media Access Control (MAC) layer supporting Blue Origin's TeraWave network. The MAC data plane translates scheduling and resource-allocation decisions into precisely timed radio transmissions and receptions. You build the high-performance software that moves customer traffic between network interfaces, MAC queues, modem hardware, and the physical layer while meeting stringent throughput, latency, timing, and reliability requirements. You collaborate with MAC control-plane, PHY, modem, FPGA, networking, platform, and systems engineers to deliver a purpose-built wireless stack for high-capacity satellite links operating across dynamic low Earth orbit environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement real-time MAC data-plane software for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint satellite communication links.
• Translate MAC scheduling and resource-allocation decisions into timed transmit and receive operations executed by modem and PHY hardware.
• Develop packet-processing pipelines and manage queues, buffers, flow control, prioritization, and congestion-handling across the data path.
• Develop data-path support for retransmission, sequence tracking, duplicate detection, loss recovery, and in-order or selective packet delivery.
• Integrate MAC data-plane software with PHY implementations, modem firmware, FPGAs, DMA engines, network interfaces, and custom SoCs.
• Optimize memory movement and packet processing using zero-copy buffers, scatter-gather I/O, batching, lock-free queues, and hardware offload.
• Build telemetry and diagnose timing, synchronization, performance, and integration issues using packet captures, traces, and hardware test environments.
• Deliver MAC data-plane capabilities from architecture and prototyping through hardware integration, performance qualification, and operational deployment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.
• Seven or more years of software-development experience in wireless, embedded, communication systems, or high-performance packet processing.
• Advanced proficiency in C or C++ with concurrent, timing-sensitive software in Linux, real-time Linux, or RTOS environments.
• Experience implementing high-throughput or low-latency data paths, communication protocols, device interfaces, or packet-processing systems.
• Experience integrating and debugging software with embedded hardware, network devices, modems, FPGAs, or communication-system components.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing MAC or link-layer data-plane software for satellite, cellular, fixed wireless, cable, Wi‑Fi, or other communication systems.
• Knowledge of TDMA, DAMA, OFDMA, framing, segmentation and reassembly, ARQ or HARQ, QoS scheduling, and radio-link operation.
• Experience interfacing with FPGAs, DSPs, DMA engines, modem firmware, network‑interface hardware, or custom SoCs.
• Experience with zero-copy packet processing, shared‑memory architectures, scatter-gather I/O, lock-free data structures, and cache‑aware software design.
• Experience with high-performance networking frameworks such as DPDK, VPP, AF_XDP, io_uring, or similar user‑space packet‑processing technologies.
• Experience with hardware and software synchronization, precision timing, timestamping, and execution against time-based transmission schedules.
• Experience using protocol analyzers, packet captures, performance profilers, logic analyzers, or hardware‑in‑the‑loop test environments.

Base Pay Range for: CA applicants is $248,830.00 - $348,361.65 WA applicants is $248,830.00 - $348,361.65 Other site ranges may differ.

Culture Statement

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, 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.

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.