Director - TeraWave RF Payloads

About the role

Blue Origin is seeking a Director to lead the development of a next-generation satellite communications payload including the Phase Array Antenna and RF gateways, from concept through manufacturing transfer. This leader will own a multidisciplinary team responsible for hardware architecture and design development, embedded software development, systems integration, validation, and production readiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead hardware, embedded software, and systems engineering teams developing compact, rugged, high-performance communications terminals.
• Define product architecture across RF, digital, power, thermal, mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing domains.
• Drive execution from prototype to high-volume production, including design for manufacturability, testability, reliability, and cost.
• Partner with manufacturing and supply chain teams to select components, qualify suppliers, and transfer designs to a contract manufacturer or develop assembly processes.
• Establish program plans, technical milestones, risk management, and cross-functional coordination with operations, quality, and product management.
• Own system-level integration, bring-up, debugging, and validation strategy for hardware and firmware.
• Ensure embedded software supports secure boot, device provisioning, field updates, telemetry, diagnostics, and factory test.
• Build and mentor a high-performing team of engineers and technical leads.
• Manage external partners, including contract manufacturers, test labs, and specialist consultants.
• Create and maintain engineering processes for requirements management, change control, verification, and release readiness.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in hardware and embedded systems development, with at least 6 years leading technical teams.
• Proven success bringing complex connected hardware products from prototype to mass production.
• Strong background in RF design, embedded systems, board design, system integration, and production test.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and driving design transfer to manufacturing.
• Experience with RF-enabled products, high-speed digital design, power electronics, thermal design, and ruggedized consumer or industrial hardware.
• Experience with Linux-based embedded platforms, real-time constraints, boot flows, device provisioning, and firmware update mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of reliability engineering, root cause analysis, and failure analysis.
• Able to lead across hardware, firmware, operations, and quality functions in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, with a track record of delivering on aggressive timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in electrical, mechanical or software engineering, or related field.
• Experience with satellite communications, antenna systems, phased arrays, or wireless networking hardware.
• Background in secure hardware, cryptography, anti-tamper, or device identity systems.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements for consumer electronics and radio products.
• Experience scaling production from low-volume engineering builds to millions of units.
• Hands-on experience with manufacturing test development and factory yield improvement.