Optical Engineering Manager, TeraWave Optical Payloads

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 connectivity with TeraWave, a revolutionary satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations.

Job Description

This role is part of TeraWave, Blue Origin's satellite communications network. TeraWave optical payloads include the Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL) terminals that carry data across the constellation and connect it to the ground. Each terminal combines an off-axis telescope, fine steering and tracking optics, and fiber-coupled transmit and receive paths. These terminals must hold tight wavefront, pointing, and coupling budgets across the on-orbit thermal environment, and they must be designed for production at constellation scale.

As Optical Engineering Manager, you will lead the optical design team in Development Labs. You will own the optical design of the terminal from the telescope through the back-end optics to the fiber, including the error budgets that tie the design to link performance. Your team will work with opto-mechanical, thermal, PAT, test, and supply chain engineers to close those budgets and release designs that can be built and aligned at rate. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will manage people, and you will also be expected to review designs in depth, make the trade calls, and defend them in program reviews.

This position requires on-site work at Redmond, WA, with occasional travel to suppliers and to Hutto, TX to support production transfer.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manage the team of engineers, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, mentoring, performance evaluation, and career development.

• Own the optical design of TeraWave optical payloads, including the front-end telescope, back-end optical assembly, fine steering and tracking optics, camera and detector optics, and fiber coupling for transmit and receive.

• Own and manage the optical error budgets (wavefront error, boresight and pointing, coupling efficiency, and optical throughput) and decompose them into component and subassembly specifications.

• Lead tolerance, sensitivity, stray light, and polarization analysis, and drive athermal design with structural-thermal-optical (STOP) analysis in partnership with opto-mechanical and thermal engineering.

• Lead optical design reviews and the release of optical prescriptions, drawings, coating specifications, and interface documents through EVT, DVT, and production.

• Design for manufacturability, alignment, and test from the start, so designs can be fabricated, aligned, and verified at constellation production rates.

• Work with optical suppliers on fabrication and coating, including diamond-turned mirrors, dichroics, and narrowband filters; support supplier selection, capability assessment, and corrective action.

• Partner with the optical test team to define verification methods and acceptance criteria, and use test data to correlate models and close design margins.

• Lead root cause analysis of optical performance issues and drive validated design corrective actions.

• Support optical architecture trades for future payloads and link-rate upgrades, including space-to-ground optical links.

• Scope, assign, and track work across the team so each team member has a clear, prioritized workload and milestones are met.

• Drive a culture of technical rigor, including design review discipline, model configuration management, and traceable analysis.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in optical design and development of precision optical systems, from requirements through hardware build and verification.

• 2+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including hiring and directing the work of engineers, either as a people manager or as the technical lead accountable for a team's delivery.

• Proficiency with optical design and analysis tools such as Code V, Zemax OpticStudio, or FRED, including tolerancing and stray light analysis.

• Experience with athermal optical design and integrated structural-thermal-optical analysis.

• Experience taking optical designs through qualification or design verification and transfer to manufacturing.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present and defend design trades to senior technical and program leadership.

• 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

• Master's degree or PhD in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

• Experience designing optics for space flight hardware, including radiation, vacuum, and launch environment considerations.

• Experience with free-space laser communication terminals, inter-satellite links, or fiber-coupled free-space optical systems.

• Experience with pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) optics, fast steering mirrors, and quad-cell or focal-plane tracking sensors.

• Experience with reflective telescope design and diamond-turned optics.

• Experience with wavefront metrology, interferometry, and model-to-test correlation.

• Experience transferring optical designs to high-volume or contract manufacturing, including assembly, alignment, and quality control procedures.

• Demonstrated experience with or strong interest in using automation or AI tools to improve design and analysis productivity.

Base Pay Range for:

WA applicants is $188,453.00 - $263,833.50

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 EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.