Principal Emulation & Prototyping Engineer

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. Were 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.

Job Description

The Emerging Systems business unit at 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 5408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) providing enterprise-grade connectivity for critical operations worldwide

The digital system comprises two ASICs: a high-throughput modem and a DSP-intensive digital beamforming (DBF) chip with first tapeout targeted for 2027. This is Blue Origins first in-house silicon which means the development strategy methodology and infrastructure are being defined now and we are hiring senior engineers and technical leads to define them.

Our strategy treats constrained-random simulation formal methods and pre-silicon hardware platforms as equal first-class tools with dedicated engineers for each. This role owns the hardware platforms end to end across two complementary capabilities:

• Emulationprimary targeting pre-silicon vehicle for design and verification bring-up
• FPGA prototypingdriving DSP and beamforming datapaths against real data converters RF front ends antenna hardware and lab instrumentation at scaled sample rates.

You will define the platform strategy select and deploy the hardware build the flows and stand up a nightly image service that the rest of the program runs on because none of it exists today.

Wireless communications experience is welcome but not required. If you want to define methodology and tooling rather than consume someone elses that opportunity is genuinely available here.

Responsibilities:

• Define and build Blue Origins pre-silicon emulation and prototyping capability from the ground up.
• Develop platform strategy flows and infrastructure and lead tradeoff studies covering capacity build turnaround debug visibility and cost.
• Evaluate and recommend platform choices including commercial emulation systems (e.g. Palladium Veloce ZeBu) commercial prototyping systems (e.g. Protium HAPS) off-the-shelf boards and custom board solutions.
• Own the end-to-end build flow: partitioning synthesis constraints implementation and timing closure for large SoC and subsystem designs across single- and multi-FPGA targets.
• Adapt designs for the platform including clock and reset restructuring memory model substitution and replacement of hard IP with platform equivalents.
• Define the rate-reduction strategy for DSP and beamforming prototyping decimation clock ratios reduced beam and element counts and establish with architecture and modeling the fidelity criteria that show a scaled slice is representative of the full design.
• Build hardware-in-the-loop platforms connecting DSP and beamforming datapaths to real converters RF front ends and antenna hardware including data converter interfacing coherent multi-channel clock distribution and latency-deterministic data paths.
• Establish and operate a nightly build service producing qualified images on a predictable cadence with versioning release notes and rollback and define the qualification tests that validate each image before release.
• Develop transactors speed bridges host-side software and test harnesses that connect designs to reference models test equipment and real-world interfaces.
• Manage platform capacity scheduling and allocation across competing users and forecast future capacity needs against program milestones.
• Debug at platform level signal capture waveform tracing transaction-level debug and triage failures with design and verification teams to isolate root cause.
• Partner with RF antenna and DSP teams on lab integration calibration and end-to-end signal chain validation.
• Produce and maintain user documentation onboarding material and usage guidance so teams can operate independently.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS10 MS8 or PhD6 years in Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering or a related field or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA implementation tools and flows (synthesis constraints place and route timing closure)andwith commercial emulation platforms.
• Strong hands-on RTL skills in SystemVerilog or Verilog including the ability to read modify and debug production RTL you did not author.
• Experience defining and deploying FPGA prototyping or emulation flows including build automation and release management.
• Experience bringing up large digital designs on FPGA or emulation platforms.
• Proficiency in Tcl Python or similar scripting for build automation flow development and CI integration.
• Experience with lab and board-level bring-up and debug using on-chip probes waveform capture and lab instrumentation.
• Experience supporting internal users of a shared platform or flow including triage documentation and direct technical support.
• Ability to work effectively across cross-site multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background in space-based communications wireless communications or modem/baseband hardware.
• Experience prototyping DSP or communications datapaths including LDPC/FEC framing or beamforming logic.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces on FPGA JESD204B/C multi-gigabit transceivers DDR memory controllers PCIe or Ethernet.
• Experience with mixed-signal or RF lab integration including data converter interfacing coherent clocking and jitter budgets and instrumentation-driven test.
• Experience with host-side software development (C/C DPI SCE-MI) for transactors speed bridges and test harnesses.
• Experience bringing up embedded processors and boot flows on FPGA including ARM-based SoC FPGAs or soft-core processors.
• Familiarity with advanced verification methodology sufficient to reuse and adapt simulation content on platform.
• Experience applying AI/ML or LLM-based tooling to build triage log analysis or flow automation.

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $230398.00 - $322556.85

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Dont 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 youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt 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 a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blues 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 10001 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 companys intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the companys results or other factors at the companys 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 Origins Affirmative Action Plans or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process please contact us at. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.