Space Segment Software Systems Engineer - Senior

Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

This role is part of Blue National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

As part of a hardworking team of engineers, you will ensure our spacecraft satisfies the needs of our critical partners, and crafts the larger vehicle data architectures to enable us to successfully implement the required capabilities for our mission. As a Software Systems Engineer on the Spacecraft Systems Engineering team, you will provide the technical glue connecting data from our flight software to the systems functions to our ground operations and test engineering. You will help ensure the program requirements, operational descriptions, and system designs have been shaped so that the overall system meets our customers’ needs.

You will be responsible for ensuring efficient integration of flight software into test environments, and with the spacecraft, which includes spacecraft bus software systems, and software products across the entire life cycle (such as architecture definition, requirements formulation, software development plans and processes, and verification processes).

To accomplish this, you will work closely with our spacecraft development engineers, flight software developers, spaceflight operations organization, test engineering, and ground system engineers.

This role will encompass developing standards and processes and ensuring adherence to them. This position demands a systems thinking approach, requiring a comprehensive understanding of the architectural and design elements of interconnected systems, and how they will be tested and verified.

Special Mentions [Edit or remove as needed]

- Relocation provided
- Travel expected up to 15% of the time
- Active clearance is highly desired but not required. (TS/SCI with CI poly or upgradable to it)

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- Support the Flight Software and other subsystem teams in defining system level software requirements and allocations to define the software implementation approach for the spacecraft.
- Coordinate overall software architecture strategy and implementation approach.
- Create guidelines and procedures defining software development, implementation, and verification strategies.
- Oversee software development resources and allocations, as well as the creation and maintenance of software-related interface control documents (ICDs).
- Conduct software life cycle reviews, including code walkthroughs, requirements reviews, test readiness and results reviews and acceptance test reviews.
- Review and approve required software management plans (software development, test, maintenance, configuration management and fault management).
- Oversee flight software-related verification and spacecraft integration test activities.
- Provided mentoring and direct technical assistance to engineering teams, covering development, testing and systems engineering of flight software, commands, telemetry and conops.
- Coordinate with users (internal, payload, or other) to ensure the software interfaces are adequate and agreed to.
- Assist in the development of software requirements, ensuring they are understandable, valid, traceable, and verifiable.
- Provide technical mentoring for junior engineers across Blue Ring.

Minimum Qualifications

- Minimum of a B.S. degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, Aerospace engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent technical field.
- Demonstrated understanding of systems engineering fundamentals and experience in multiple system lifecycle phases.
- 10+ years of related experience in the design, development, and test of aerospace systems, preferably spacecraft.
- Familiarity with spacecraft operations, command & control, and/or spacecraft communications.
- Experience developing or testing flight software.
- Experience developing an integrated system with depth in one or more spacecraft subsystems, and/or system design and integration.
- Familiarity with spacecraft flight software design and architecture (e.g. cFS, F Prime, etc.).
- Understanding of embedded software development concepts, including hardware integration, message buses, scheduling, and network communication.
- Domain experience with spacecraft systems and subsystem functions, interfaces, and communication protocols (i.e. serial, 1553, Ethernet, embedded software, etc.).
- Experience with CCSDS standards, including command and telemetry formats.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

- M.S. degree in a relevant technical field.
- Active TS/SCI security clearance with CI poly
- Demonstrated experience debugging and identifying root cause at the hardware/software boundary.
- Experience defining and performing complex trade studies.
- Experience using hardware and software testbeds and lab environments for software and system verification.
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies and modern software development practices.
- Jira, gitlab, CI/CD pipelines.
- Familiarity with, or experience in, Model-Based Systems Engineering, such as System Models and/or System Architecture diagrams.

Base Pay Range for:
CO applicants is $133,500.00 - $186,898.95

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

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