System Architecture - Director of Autonomy and Software

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 diverse team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!  

This role is part of the New Shepard program. New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket system designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space. Through operational reusability, New Shepard supports our mission of lowering the cost of access to space.

As the System Architecture - Director of Autonomy and Software, you will lead our team of passionate and accomplished experts helping to define the roadmap for all software aspects of reliable and repeatable human-rated spaceflight.  You may already have one or more world-changing technical contributions under your belt, but your passion for aerospace drives you to reach for the stars.  You are comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and contributing to innovative solutions while demonstrating leadership, technical competence, and attention to detail. Your technical acumen is notable, and you are prepared to lead us through the definition and development of all future New Shepard software.

This position will directly impact the history of human space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable human spaceflight.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead definition of flight, ground, and test software architectures to for robust, real-time, safety-critical, software systems
• Drive software engineering of fault tolerant flight software and autonomy responsible for the overall command and control of autonomous human-rated flight vehicles and ground systems
• Define software specifications for the development and test of software for embedded platforms
• Oversee efforts to integrate software components, create and run unit tests, validate on Hardware-in-the-Loop and release real-time embedded solutions
• Oversee software development and integration testing throughout the product lifecycle
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary product teams to define software capabilities and designs
• Coordinate with hardware, controls and system engineers to plan, develop, and lead system verification and qualification, to ensure software products meet system requirements and safety-critical standards
• Oversee development of rapid prototypes to prove out concepts and quantify technical risks
• Lead and contribute to production of technical documentation for software architecture, design, verification plans

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS degree in Computer Science or similar field
• 10+ years relevant experience in development of flight software and/or autonomy
• Experience with systems integration and hardware-in-the-loop / software-in-the-loop testing
• Experience working with and leading cross-functional teams in a diverse work environment
• Outstanding management, organizational, and time management skills
• Critical thinker with innovative problem-solving skills
• Self-starter with strategic and creative mindset
• Proven experience with planning/scheduling tools including processes such as basis of estimates and integrated master schedules
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal 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:

• Aerospace software expertise
• Experience with command-and-control systems
• C++, Python, Simulink, Linux experience
• DO-178 or mission-critical software experience
• Experience with hardware, firmware, and software integration on electronic components
• Experience with tools such as JIRA, Confluence, and Gitlab
• MS, PhD degree in engineering
• Agile Scrum experience or certification
• Project Management certification (PMP/Certified Project Manager)

 

Compensation Range for:

WA applicants is $136,620.00-$191,268.00

Other site ranges may differ

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

Inclusivity 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 a dive