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Sr Avionics Hardware Engineer Verified today

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

This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin's mission to enable millions of people living and working in space. You will be a systems-thinking engineer and hands-on builder responsible for the entire lifecycle of spacecraft electronic systems. You will design, develop, and test critical avionics hardware from component to integrated system level, and actively participate in rapid formulation design environments.

As a Sr Avionics Hardware Engineer, you will not just design on a screen. You will be in the lab prototyping, building harnesses, and testing the hardware you create. You will collaborate closely with mechanical, thermal, software, and systems engineers to define vehicle architecture and ensure successful avionics integration.

Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, and test spacecraft avionics systems
  • Lead the design and analysis of vehicle power systems, including power generation, energy storage, regulation, and distribution architectures
  • Perform hands-on fabrication, assembly, and testing of engineering-level hardware, including building and modifying wire harnesses, soldering components, and integrating sensor systems
  • Design for the space radiation environment, applying principles of radiation hardening (TID, SEE) and selecting components to meet mission radiation requirements
  • Define and manage requirements for various sensors (IMUs, star trackers, magnetometers, pressure transducers, temperature sensors) and their electrical interfaces (analog, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-422, CAN, Ethernet)
  • Collaborate with mechanical and thermal engineering teams on vehicle layout, packaging, connector selection, and overall system design
  • Develop schematics, manage PCB layout, and perform simulations (SPICE) for critical circuits
  • Create comprehensive test plans, procedures, and reports for hardware verification and validation at board, box, and system levels
  • Troubleshoot complex hardware issues across integrated systems and support vehicle-level testing and launch campaigns
  • Generate and maintain electrical power budgets encompassing all power consumption and generation/storage margin management by mission phase

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline
  • 7 or more years of experience in avionics and power hardware development for aerospace, defense, automotive, or other high-reliability applications
  • Demonstrated experience as a hands-on engineer with direct experience designing, building, and reworking wire harnesses and prototype electronics
  • Understanding of common circuit analyses (Worst Case Circuit Analysis, Derating, Power Analysis, Timing, etc.)
  • Strong understanding of designing for the space radiation environment and its effects on electronic components
  • Experience working with a variety of sensor types and their associated analog and digital interfaces
  • Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout tools such as Altium Designer or Cadence

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master of Science in a related technical discipline
  • Experience with end-to-end development of avionics for a spaceflight mission
  • Experience with environmental testing (thermal, vacuum, vibration, shock) per standards like SMC-S-016 or MIL-STD-810
  • Proven experience in the design and analysis of power generation, energy storage, power electronics and power distribution systems (photovoltaics, DC/DC converters, battery systems, fault protection, etc.)
  • Experience with high-voltage power systems
  • Familiarity with systems engineering processes, including requirements management and verification

Compensation and Location

Base pay range for Washington applicants: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45. Other site ranges may differ.

Employment Details

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. Additional background checks may be required depending on job profile and facility access needs.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
  • Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability
  • 401(k) with company match up to 5%
  • Stock options for regular employees (20+ hours/week)
  • Paid time off up to four weeks per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays
  • Education Support Program
  • Performance-based bonuses (not guaranteed, subject to change)