Principal Space Vehicle Autonomy Architect

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!

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

As part of a hardworking team of diverse specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will provide leadership across organizations, working end-to-end across vehicle, sensor/payload, and ground elements to create autonomous space systems solutions. The Principal Space Vehicle Autonomy Architect is responsible for formulating on-orbit autonomy strategies for Blue National Security, including Blue Ring and constellation product lines. You will be a primary participant in trade studies and proposal development for national security customers, civil government agencies, and commercial entities pursuing advanced on-orbit operations. You will interface with defense and civil-space stakeholders on autonomy-related topics, including coordination of capability roadmaps, development of mission-level requirements, and oversight of implementation and test activities. You will provide subject matter expertise in fleet-level autonomous operations, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), and other critical autonomy needs during algorithm development and flight operations.

We're looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact the future of space. Passion for our mission and vision is required. Successful candidates will have a strong technical background, be detail driven, and have excellent problem-solving abilities. You should be passionate about delivering extensible, timely solutions while contributing to the development of high-performance teams through meticulous goal-setting, disciplined attention to performance metrics, and continuous process improvement.

If you're excited by providing near-term value, solving novel problems, learning about interesting topics, and completing challenging activities, please apply!

✦ Special Mentions

• Preferred Location: Any Blue Origin location, including Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; Space Coast, FL; Reston, VA; Huntsville, AL, or Kent, WA (Seattle area) offices.
• Relocation: Relocation assistance is available for candidates relocating to one of the primary Blue Origin office locations
• Travel: Up to 25% travel may be required depending on work location and program needs.
• Clearance: An active TS//SCI is strongly preferred though not required.

✦ Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with customers, stakeholders, systems engineering, architecture, hardware, and software teams to ensure cross-functional autonomy deliverables are identified and tracked
• Author proposal documents targeting national security customers, civil government agencies, and commercial entities pursuing advanced on-orbit autonomous operations
• Coordinate with Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC), Astrodynamics and Trajectory Execution (ATX), Flight Software, Telecommunications, and Sensor/Payload teams to perform detailed trade studies for autonomous maneuver planning, RPO sequencing, and fleet-level coordination
• Establish goals and metrics to identify opportunities to deliver autonomous system solutions to cost, performance, and schedule requirements
• Assess fleet-level autonomy and RPO performance against current and future mission scenarios to align with company and customer needs, including coordinated observation, spectrum / beam management, network / mesh routing, and graceful degradation
• Inform autonomy performance, risk, and operations for scheduled missions, including ConOps development, ground systems feasibility, and human-machine teaming frameworks
• Lead the development of on-orbit autonomy architectures — including autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and multi-spacecraft coordination — encompassing requirements definition, trade studies, and roadmap planning
• Lead the definition & development of full lifecycle autonomy including initialization, service orbit attainment, predictive health & degradation monitoring, over-the-air software updates, and end-of-life / deorbit
• Create high-level verification and testing processes and procedures that ensure compliance to requirements.
• Mentor and train across the program to ensure autonomy approach, philosophy, and technology are understood and implemented to provide required capabilities and value to customers
• Support autonomous operations during live mission activities, including real-time monitoring of autonomous maneuver execution, anomaly response, and fleet state management

✦ Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area
• 10+ years of technical experience developing space mission design and autonomous systems
• 10+ years of technical experience in the space autonomy domain, including on-orbit autonomous operations, relative navigation, orbital mechanics, and multi-spacecraft coordination
• Strong background developing space autonomy CONOPs, requirements, and interface description documents to flow to element-level teams
• Demonstrated experience with fleet-level autonomy and/or rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) throughout the mission design lifecycle, from conceptualization through operational flight
• Applied experience in autonomy and mission design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, STK, FreeFlyer, GMAT, or equivalent
• Experience developing high-level plans for end-to-end integrated system tests occurring throughout a program's lifecycle
• Outstanding customer relationship skills, including the ability to discover requirements underlying feature requests, recommend alternative technical and business approaches, and lead engineering efforts to meet ambitious timelines with optimal solutions
• Excellent verbal and written 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

• Ph.D. in Aerospace, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area
• 15+ years of proven experience focused on mission design and autonomous space systems
• Multiple spacecraft missions of operational autonomous flight support and/or leadership
• Applied expertise in relative navigation algorithms, including sensor fusion, optical/LIDAR-based proximity sensing, and state estimation for RPO applications
• Experience with autonomous mission planning and execution frameworks for multi-spacecraft or constellation operations
• Familiarity with national security space mission requirements, including Space Domain Awareness (SDA), on-orbit servicing, and responsive space operations
• Experience with AI/ML-based decision-making frameworks applied to on-orbit autonomy or fleet management
• Experience designing, analyzing, or operating autonomous systems in cislunar, GEO, or other high-energy orbital environments
• Active TS//SCI security clearance

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85
CO applicants is $173,466.00 - $242,851.35
WA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85
VA applicants is $183,193.00 - $256,469.85

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
• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• 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.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• 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.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.