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Senior Communications Systems Engineer - Lunar Permanence Verified today

Blue Origin · 3 Locations · Space Systems · first seen 2026-09-23
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Role Overview

You will work as a Communication Systems Responsible Engineer within the spacecraft Avionics team, focusing on integration of the communications subsystem for Blue Origin's Lunar Permanence business unit. You will lead multi-functional trade studies, run integrated analyses, and define interfaces that impact the design and integration of the spacecraft.

Responsibilities

  • Develop communication system design for one or more in-space architectures
  • Allocate and decompose higher level functions and requirements to the Communications Subsystems; support alignment, documentation, and consistent implementation of Lunar Permanence system engineering practices
  • Support system and lower-level requirements management, including change control, audits, and coordination with other teams
  • Support development and creation of ConOps; develop, track, and maintain analyses and simulations for Communications Subsystem including link analysis, signal distortion, system capacity, coverage analysis and performance
  • Develop subsystem verification and validation activity definitions including verification methods, expectations, and compliance criteria
  • Coordinate with Integration and Test teams to ensure test facilities have required capabilities per requirements definition
  • Track V and V activities to successful completion, which may include reviewing subsystem test plans and possible travel to test facilities
  • Support definition of vehicle-level interfaces between systems and elements that interact with internal components
  • Support authoring of safety artifacts, including functional hazard assessments and hazard mitigations
  • Mentor early career systems engineers

Minimum Qualifications

  • B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related technical area
  • Experience in communication systems or RF testing; working knowledge of major RF components (SSPA, LNAs, Transceivers, waveguides, antennas, filters, etc.)
  • Strong communication fundamentals including understanding of digital modulation schemes (QPSK, OQPSK, UQPSK, spread spectrum approaches), FEC encoding (Reed Solomon and LDPC codes), and relationship between information rates and RF requirements
  • Experience delivering communications systems for spacecraft applications including addressing radiation effects, hardware/software integration, thermal management
  • Experience integrating communication systems into larger systems, including definition of management and data interfaces using protocols like RS-422, Ethernet, SpaceWire, HDLC
  • Experience developing static and dynamic RF simulations (link budgets, coverage analyses, line of sight simulation) with tools like HFSS, STK, MATLAB, and/or Python
  • Working knowledge of space environments and the process to space qualify a communication flight unit
  • Ability to work from incomplete specifications to drive to completion; proven ability to interpret and apply high-level system requirements to practical design solutions
  • In depth knowledge of systems engineering practices including requirements development, standard verification methods, functional decomposition, standard diagramming techniques, risk and opportunity management
  • Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

  • 7 or more years of satellite communication systems experience and familiarity with all phases of RF product lifecycle from concept, design, manufacture, test, and integration
  • Knowledge of in-space relay communication protocols and architectures
  • Knowledge of direct-with-earth communications and ranging approaches
  • Knowledge of vehicle-to-vehicle crosslink communications and ranging
  • Working knowledge of simulation software like HFSS for antenna placement studies, coverage analysis, antenna pattern simulations, ray tracing simulations, and other RF studies
  • Full-life cycle engineering for a communication system from clean-sheet architecture definition through to operations planning and support
  • Experience writing RF test procedures and performing subsystem level functional tests

Compensation

Base Pay Range: Colorado applicants $144,179.00 to $201,849.90; Washington applicants $156,802.00 to $219,522.45. Other site ranges may differ.

Requirements

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.