Lunar Ground Communications Engineer - Level IV (Sr)

Application close date:

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!

As a Ground Communications Engineer, you will work with a small, hardworking, and accomplished team of Ground Infrastructure, Mission Systems, and Communication Engineers, designing and performing flight and operations development tasks throughout the full system lifecycle. You will share in the team's impact on all aspects of the mission operations concept, mission analysis and planning, flight planning, ground data systems, and tools used to operate sophisticated spaceflight vehicles. You will enjoy a fast-paced dynamic environment, supplying innovative solutions, while demonstrating technical competence, and attention to detail. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention towards safe and reliable spaceflight.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Job Duties:

• Integrate ground station and relay providers into a mission operations environment
• Ensure checkout of critical communication ground systems components supporting real-time telemetry data, commands, and video
• Support the definition of the ground data system and communications architecture, and design that enable highly effective and labor-efficient real-time spacecraft and ground system operation, systems performance assessment and inter-team communication and coordination
• Support integration of various ground system software and hardware components pertaining to space-ground communications including modems, front end processors, cryptography units and ground station interfaces.
• Support the operations team by creating operations products (procedures, documentation etc.) for the commanding and monitoring for both nominal and contingency situations
• Support the vehicle engineering team by aligning radio development with ground station capabilities/requirements and coordinating radio testing and verification.
• Collaborate with the training team to plan training simulations and other training activities
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including engineers representing flight vehicle systems, ground software, flight control operators and customers
• Perform trade studies to determine the architecture and capabilities of ground systems to best meet mission operations requirements, cost and schedule.
• Coordinate with ground infrastructure/software and mission system engineers to plan, develop, and lead system verification and qualification, to ensure that ground data system products meet system requirements and safety-critical standards.
• Support console as part of the mission operations team for the Lunar vehicles.

Required Qualifications:

• B.S. or higher degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, aerospace engineering, or related field or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of relevant space related space mission-oriented ground systems development experience
• Expertise in ground station or relay satellite service integration
• Expertise in spacecraft telemetry and commanding
• Understanding of space to ground RF communications
• Understanding of the principles and methods of engineering sophisticated systems
• Experience in engineering over the full lifecycle of development, including system design and analysis, requirement capture and development, implementation and verification, system integration, qualification, and release
• Experience in on-console operations and telemetry collection
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast paced, dynamic work environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S. in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, or related technical field
• Experience with commercial ground station providers
• Experience with DSN, TDRS, and other relay services and/or operations
• Experience with C2 software tools (for ex. InControl)
• Former experience as a C2 Operator of complex system
• Experience with Front End Processor software tools (for ex. Amergint or Kratos)
• Experience with CCSDS and/or common space-ground protocols (for ex. Transfer Frame Protocol)
• Experience working with spacecraft RF link budgets
• Regulatory knowledge related to RF licensing for ground stations and spacecraft
• Experience with STK, Matlab, and Python
• Experience managing contractors and executing NASA contracts
• Experience with integration of modems, antennas, and Front-End Processors
• Experience with AES-128 crypto key management as well as architecting of encryption/decryption solutions.
• Experience in one or more of the following:
  • Spaceflight mission operations
  • Mission analysis, flight planning and timeline development
  • Operational fault management
  • Flight-ground RF experience
  • Spacecraft telemetry, command and sequencing
  • Ground Data System architecture in the context of space operations
• Experience working on large, sophisticated programs with multiple partners
• First principles knowledge of major spacecraft subsystems
• Experience with requirements definition and management, preferably using JAMA
• Experience with collaboration tools such as Confluence and JIRA
• Familiarity with version control, preferably Git
• Experience with configuration and product data management tools, preferably Windchill
• Experience working in a technical training environment for engineers
• Experience working with and proposing to U.S. Government research agencies (e.g. NASA, AFRL, DARPA)

Compensation Range for:

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.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blue's Standard Background Check

• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation

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• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

Benefits

• Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.

• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on "Know Your Rights," please see here.

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