Software Development Engineer III – MAC Control Plane – TeraWave

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!  

Blue Origin is pioneering the future of space-based communications with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This multi-orbit constellation will consist of optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide.

As a Software Development Engineer III on the TeraWave Software and Networking Team, you design, implement, and test control-plane software for a custom Media Access Control (MAC) layer supporting Blue Origin's TeraWave network.

The MAC control plane governs radio-resource allocation, link establishment, scheduling, quality of service, link adaptation, and mobility across dynamic satellite-to-ground connections. You contribute to purpose-built MAC protocols and control mechanisms that address the scale, propagation characteristics, mobility, and availability requirements of the TeraWave architecture.

You work closely with senior software engineers and engineers across the PHY, modem, networking, platform, and systems teams to develop a high-throughput, predictable-latency wireless stack designed specifically for space-based communications.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and test MAC control-plane software for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint satellite communication links.

• Develop components of TDMA, demand-assigned multiple access, admission-control, scheduling, and radio-resource-allocation systems.

• Implement protocol state machines for link establishment, maintenance, reconfiguration, teardown, fault recovery, and transitions between beams, satellites, and gateways.

• Develop MAC control logic for QoS enforcement, traffic prioritization, flow control, retransmission, and coordinated link adaptation.

• Integrate MAC control-plane software with PHY implementations, modem hardware, networking data planes, telemetry systems, and hardware-accelerated MAC functions.

• Build simulation, test, and performance-analysis tools to validate protocol behavior under mobility, fading, congestion, timing variation, and failure scenarios.

• Diagnose software, protocol, timing, and system-integration issues using logs, telemetry, packet captures, simulations, and hardware test environments.

• Deliver MAC control-plane features through design, implementation, code review, hardware integration, system qualification, and operational deployment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.

• Four or more years of software-development experience in wireless networking, communication systems, embedded systems, or high-performance networking.

• Proficiency in C or C++ with concurrent or timing-sensitive software in Linux, real-time Linux, or RTOS environments.

• Experience implementing communication protocols, protocol state machines, resource schedulers, flow-control mechanisms, or QoS systems.

• Experience developing and debugging software that interfaces with hardware, embedded platforms, networking systems, or communication devices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing MAC or link-layer software for satellite, non-terrestrial, cellular, fixed wireless, or other communication platforms.

• Knowledge of TDMA, DAMA, OFDMA, radio-resource management, adaptive modulation and coding, ARQ or HARQ, admission control, or QoS scheduling.

• Experience integrating software with PHY implementations, FPGAs, DSPs, modems, or custom SoCs.

• Experience with multithreaded, asynchronous, or event-driven software architectures.

• Experience with simulation and analysis environments such as ns-3, MATLAB, Python, or custom discrete-event simulators.

• Experience with high-performance packet-processing technologies such as DPDK, VPP, eBPF, or hardware packet-processing engines.

• Experience developing systems that operate under variable latency, constrained bandwidth, partial connectivity, or rapidly changing network conditions.

 

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $207,416.00 - $290,381.70 WA applicants is $207,416.00 - $290,381.70

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.