Flight Dynamics Software Engineer III - Blue Ring

Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems business unit is building software that turns spaceflight math into mission-ready capabilities. In this Flight Dynamics Software Engineer III role, you will help develop, test, and deploy the Flight Dynamics System (FDS) for Blue Ring spacecraft, working at the intersection of astrodynamics algorithms and production software services.

This position is based in Seattle, WA (onsite) and supports microservices and data pipelines that support flight operations and mission-critical decision workflows.

What you will do

• Design, implement, test, verify, and deploy FDS microservices for orbit maintenance, collision avoidance, engine commodity bookkeeping, and flight dynamics product generation.
• Collaborate with multiple engineering groups, including teams in flight vehicle systems, mission control infrastructure, operations subject areas, and customers, to define software requirements, architectures, and designs.
• Convert astrodynamics algorithms from the ATX team into production services, bridging numerical methods and software engineering.
• Create rapid prototypes to validate concepts and quantify technical risk.
• Partner with systems infrastructure and system engineers to plan, develop, and verify software in a way that aligns with requirement goals and safety-critical standards.
• Maintain and produce user documentation, including software architecture and design documentation, verification plans, user manuals, and training materials.
• Follow Blue Origin and customer-required software development processes to support safety and reliability.
• Support frequent update cycles for pre-flight testing, mission validation exercises, and operations training events.
• Support mission control software operations during operator training, including maintenance, defect correction, and improvements, as well as ground data system verification, validation, and certification; spacecraft integration; and flight.
• Integrate software components, develop and run unit-level and system-level tests, validate using Software-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop simulators, and release certified code.
• Contribute to materials for software design, verification plans, user manuals, and training.

Required qualifications

• B.S. or higher degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, aerospace engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of software development experience.
• Experience across the full software lifecycle, including system design and analysis, requirement capture and development, software implementation and verification, system integration, qualification, and release.
• Experience with software build automation, continuous integration, configuration management, verification, and deployment.
• Proven software development skills across multiple languages, with the ability to implement in the language most appropriate to the problem domain.
• Familiarity with Linux and comfort with basic Unix system administration tasks.
• Ability to earn trust and maintain positive, professional relationships.
• 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.

Technologies

• Python
• REST
• Kafka
• GRPC
• Linux
• Unix
• Software-in-the-Loop
• Hardware-in-the-Loop

Benefits

• 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%
• 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, plus up to 14 company-paid holidays

Additional details

• Relocation: relocation provided
• Assessment: interviews will include a technical assessment
• Compensation: USD 164,652 - 230,512 per yearly
• Application timeline: applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed

Preferred qualifications

• Experience designing and developing ground software for space flight operations
• Expertise developing complex applications in Python
• Experience with REST, Kafka, GRPC, web development and/or database development and interfaces
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and cloud technologies
• Familiarity with astrodynamics concepts such as orbit determination, maneuver planning, or collision avoidance
• Familiarity with software systems for telemetry data processing, fault monitoring, flight dynamics; mission activity planning and scheduling; spacecraft ephemeris generation and dissemination; conjunction data processing and space situational awareness
• Experience with spacecraft subsystems and associated subsystem software

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 being on a military installation
• Required for certain job profiles: Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
• Required for certain job profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential, including pre-employment and random drug testing and a DOT physical