Communications Systems Engineer III - Lunar Permanence Verified today

About the role

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

What you will do

• Develop communication system design for one or more in-space architectures
• Allocate and decompose higher-level functions and requirements to Communications Subsystems; support alignment, documentation, and implementation of Lunar Permanence system engineering practices
• Support system and lower-level requirements management, including change control, audits, and coordination with other teams
• Develop and maintain analyses and simulations for Communications Subsystem: link analysis, signal distortion, system capacity, coverage analysis and performance
• Support ConOps development and creation
• 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
• Track V&V activities to completion, including reviewing subsystem test plans and travel to test facilities when needed
• Support definition of vehicle-level interfaces between systems and elements
• 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 field
• 5+ years of experience in communication systems or RF testing
• Working knowledge of major RF components: SSPAs, LNAs, Transceivers, waveguides, antennas, filters, etc.
• Strong communication fundamentals: digital modulation schemes (QPSK variants, spread spectrum), FEC encoding (Reed Solomon, LDPC codes), relationship between information rates and RF requirements
• Experience delivering communications systems for spacecraft applications: radiation effects, hardware/software integration, thermal management
• Experience integrating communication systems into larger systems using protocols such as RS-422, Ethernet, SpaceWire, HDLC
• Experience developing static and dynamic RF simulations (link budgets, coverage analyses, line-of-sight) with tools such as HFSS, STK, MATLAB, or Python
• Working knowledge of space environments and the process to space-qualify a communication flight unit
• Ability to work from incomplete specifications and drive to completion; proven ability to interpret high-level system requirements into practical design solutions
• In-depth knowledge of systems engineering practices: requirements development, standard verification methods, functional decomposition, standard diagramming techniques, risk and opportunity management
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Preferred qualifications

• 5+ years of satellite communication systems experience and familiarity with all phases of RF product lifecycle: 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 HFSS for antenna placement studies, coverage analysis, antenna pattern simulations, ray tracing, and other RF studies
• Full-lifecycle engineering for a communication system from clean-sheet architecture through operations planning and support
• Experience writing RF test procedures and performing subsystem-level functional tests

Compensation

Base pay range: CO $119,814.00 - $167,738.55; WA $130,706.00 - $182,987.70. Other site ranges may differ.

Employment 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.

Blue's Standard Background Check is required for all positions.