Senior Optical Communications Design Engineer, Project Sunrise Verified today

About the role

This position is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin's Sunrise project: a satellite constellation of orbital data centers designed to provide high-bandwidth global connectivity.

You will take ownership of an existing optical communications design, adapting and enhancing it to meet new system requirements and performance targets. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of hardware and software engineers, guiding the development of pointing algorithms, hardware solutions, and integration strategies to ensure the constellation remains best-in-class.

Your responsibilities

• Lead the design, analysis, and optimization of free-space optical communication systems, including pointing, acquisition, tracking (PAT), and failover/redundancy strategies.
• Direct a cross-functional team of hardware and software engineers to develop, implement, and validate optical communication algorithms and hardware.
• Design and validate the end-to-end optical communication pipeline, from data interface through signal processing, modulation, and optical front-end.
• Oversee selection, integration, and testing of optical components and subsystems including lasers, modulators, detectors, and pointing mechanisms.
• Perform detailed link budget analysis, modeling, and simulation to predict and validate system performance under various operational conditions, including platform jitter and pointing errors.
• Evolve and update existing optical communication hardware and software designs to meet new mission requirements, improve performance, and reduce cost.
• Develop test infrastructure and execute test plans for component and system-level validation, including hands-on lab work and over-the-air testing.
• Collaborate with systems, avionics, and software teams to ensure seamless integration of the optical communications payload with the spacecraft bus.
• Create and maintain comprehensive design documentation, interface definitions, and performance analyses.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in the design and development of optical communication systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading or directing small technical teams comprising both hardware and software specialists.
• Proven experience with optical communication systems for satellite constellations or aerospace applications.
• Strong understanding of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems and algorithm development.
• Proficiency in performing optical link budget and performance analysis.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• Experience with the full lifecycle of a satellite program, from design and development to in-orbit operations.
• Experience with real-time Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for communication systems, implemented on FPGAs, GPUs, or embedded processors.
• Familiarity with Software-Defined Radio (SDR) architectures and frameworks.
• Proficiency with optical design and simulation software such as Zemax, Code V, or MATLAB/Simulink.
• Experience designing for strict Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints on flight systems.
• Knowledge of high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with proven ability to guide and mentor other engineers.

Compensation

Base pay range: CO applicants $181,626.00 to $254,275.35; WA applicants $197,529.00 to $276,539.55. 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.

Background check required for all positions.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance.
• Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability.
• 401(k) with company match of up to 5%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock options for all regular employees working at least 20 hours per week.
• Up to four weeks paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours, plus up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Bonus eligibility dependent on role type and job level (not guaranteed).