Senior Perception Lead (Vehicle Autonomy)

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!  

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

Special Mentions

• Location: Denver, CO (primary); Huntsville, AL
• Relocation assistance provided 
• Travel: Up to 25% travel required

About the Role

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Perception Lead to drive the technical direction of computer vision and sensor fusion algorithm development supporting autonomous navigation, targeting, and situational awareness capabilities for next-generation space systems. As an individual contributor and technical authority, you will define the perception architecture, guide algorithm development, and ensure our autonomous systems can reliably sense, interpret, and respond to complex, dynamic environments — both on-orbit and in support of national security missions.

This is a high-impact, hands-on technical leadership role for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of deep technical expertise and mission-critical influence.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead the design, development, and integration of perception algorithms for autonomous navigation, targeting, and situational awareness systems
• Architect and implement computer vision and sensor fusion pipelines leveraging data from cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, or other onboard sensors
• Define technical strategy and roadmaps for perception subsystems, ensuring alignment with overall vehicle autonomy and mission objectives
• Drive algorithm development for object detection, tracking, classification, and scene understanding in challenging, dynamic, and resource-constrained environments
• Establish and enforce best practices for perception software development, testing, and verification & validation (V&V)
• Collaborate cross-functionally with autonomy, guidance navigation & control (GN&C), avionics, and systems engineering teams to integrate perception capabilities into flight systems
• Support hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) and software-in-the-loop (SITL) testing, as well as field and flight test campaigns, to validate perception algorithm performance
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and mid-level perception engineers, fostering technical growth without formal supervisory responsibility
• Communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations to program leadership, customers, and stakeholders
• Stay current with state-of-the-art perception, computer vision, and machine learning techniques, and assess their applicability to Blue Origin's mission needs
• Support proposal development, technical reviews, and customer engagements as needed

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent additional experience in lieu of degree
• 8+ years of professional experience in computer vision, sensor fusion, or perception algorithm development for autonomous systems
• Demonstrated technical leadership experience guiding the perception architecture and algorithm strategy for a program or product, without requiring formal management authority
• Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python for perception algorithm development
• Hands-on experience with sensor fusion techniques (e.g., Kalman filtering, particle filtering) integrating data from multiple sensor modalities (camera, LIDAR, RADAR, IMU)
• Experience with object detection, tracking, and classification algorithms, including deep learning-based approaches
• Familiarity with real-time or embedded software development constraints
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to influence technical direction across teams
• 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