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Senior Power Electronics Engineer – Power Distribution - TeraWave Verified today

Blue Origin · 2 Locations · Electronics · first seen 2026-09-03
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About the Role

Blue Origin is developing TeraWave, a satellite communications constellation delivering symmetrical data speeds up to 6 Tbps. Join the Spacecraft Bus team as Senior Power Electronics Engineer focused on Power Distribution.

You will serve as the Responsible Engineer for the Dual Voltage Distribution Box (DVDB), a flight-critical component at the core of the spacecraft's Electrical Power Subsystem. The DVDB distributes and protects power across two voltage domains, providing switchable outputs, fault isolation, load management, and health telemetry to every powered subsystem on the vehicle.

This is full product ownership. You will drive the DVDB from requirements definition through circuit design, qualification, and production release at constellation scale. TeraWave operates at thousands of units, meaning your design decisions directly impact manufacturing yield, unit cost, test throughput, and schedule. You will balance rigorous space-grade reliability with aggressive cost and manufacturability targets.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead circuit design for the Dual Voltage Distribution Box, including solid-state power controllers (SSPCs), relay-based switching, overcurrent protection, in-rush current limiting, and fault isolation across both voltage domains
  • Define load switch sequencing, priority shedding logic, and fault response behavior in coordination with Fault Management and C&DH teams
  • Own the DVDB telemetry architecture including current, voltage, and switch state monitoring, and define avionics interfaces for health monitoring and commanding
  • Derive and maintain DVDB hardware requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), and design specifications in coordination with systems engineering and adjacent subsystems
  • Participate in FMEA/FMECA activities and drive single-point failure elimination
  • Optimize the DVDB design for high-rate manufacturing including component commonality, DFM/DFT compliance, and unit cost targets
  • Define and transition Automated Test Equipment (ATE) from development to production
  • Develop and execute hardware qualification plans per MIL-STD-1540, SMC-S-016, or equivalent standards
  • Serve as technical authority for the DVDB during vehicle integration and flight acceptance test campaigns
  • Own and maintain the complete DVDB design package within the PLM configuration management system

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related field, plus 7 or more years of hands-on electronics hardware development experience
  • Demonstrated design experience with power distribution architectures including solid-state power controllers (SSPCs), relay switching, overcurrent protection, and fault isolation in a spacecraft or high-reliability application
  • Design experience with multi-voltage or dual-bus power systems above 50V, including load management, in-rush current mitigation, and switch sequencing
  • Hands-on experience leading or substantially contributing to a hardware qualification campaign per MIL-STD-1540, SMC-S-016, ECSS-E-ST-10-03, or comparable standard, including test plan development and anomaly resolution
  • Experience with radiation-tolerant or radiation-hardened design practices for space environments, including component selection and total ionizing dose (TID) analysis
  • U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, required for access to export-controlled technical data

Preferred Qualifications

  • Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
  • 9 or more years of power electronics or power systems development experience for space or harsh environments
  • Experience with dual-bus or multi-voltage distribution architectures and cross-strapping strategies for fault tolerance
  • Experience with current sensing, telemetry calibration, and health monitoring integration for distributed power systems
  • Experience in high-rate production electronics environments including DFM/DFT optimization and yield improvement
  • Experience designing and integrating power electronics with mechanical structures for thermal management
  • Proficiency with Altium Designer or comparable tool for schematic capture and PCB layout
  • Proficiency with LTspice or comparable SPICE-based simulation tool
  • Experience with Windchill PLM or equivalent configuration management system
  • Experience with EMI/EMC design and compliance per MIL-STD-461 or equivalent
  • Background in safety-critical systems development across aerospace, automotive, medical, or defense applications
  • Strong written and verbal technical communication skills with demonstrated ability to author specifications, analysis reports, and test plans independently

Compensation

Base Pay Range:

  • Colorado applicants: $144,179.00 - $201,849.90
  • Washington applicants: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
  • Other site ranges may differ

Additional Information

Employment type: Full-time. Background check required for all positions. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with company match up to 5%, education support program, stock options for regular employees, and up to 4 weeks paid time off plus 14 company-paid holidays annually.