Lidar and Camera Development Engineer - Lunar Avionics

About the role

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. The role involves developing advanced lidar and camera systems for Blue Origin’s spacecraft, focusing on rendezvous, navigation, proximity operations, and docking, as well as manned crew applications.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate in the development of lidar- and vision-based optical sensor hardware for guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) of crewed and uncrewed lander systems
• Coordinate, and contribute to, multi-disciplinary design of lidar and other complex systems incorporating lasers, optics, optomechanical elements, electronics, and FPGAs
• Support the fabrication and lab testing of prototype hardware
• Contribute to/lead procurement, vendor coordination, delivery, acceptance, installation, verification, validation, qualification, and certification of component hardware
• Support the development and execution of component-level test programs, including sensor characterization and calibration, sensor performance modeling, and integrated on-vehicle testing
• Guide environmental testing (shock/vibration, thermal vacuum, etc.) and flight tests to validate top-level system specifications and requirements and establish sensor performance specifications
• Support design risk analyses, failure modes effects and criticality analyses (FMECA), design for test/manufacture/cost (DFx), and root-cause analysis of test discrepancies
• Participate in program level technology development, mission assurance and safety initiatives, and avionics development process improvements
• Effectively communicate development status, risks, and challenges to management

Requirements

• B.S. in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Imaging Science or related area of study
• 5+ years working with lidar, laser systems, image sensors, vision-based guidance systems, or related areas
• Experience in the development, prototyping, testing, calibration, and verification of lidar/optical imaging or guidance systems for aerospace, automotive, medical, or robotics applications
• Knowledge of receiver systems and optical detectors
• Understanding of atmospheric propagation, target interaction (speckle, reflectivity, BRDF, etc.), and optical link budgets
• Background working with multidisciplinary optical-based systems involving complex electronics, signal processing, and/or precision opto-mechanical assemblies
• Exposure to product schedule, cost, delivery, and supplier management
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to reach across discipline boundaries to solve integration issues spanning hardware, firmware, and controls
• Desire to work hands-on, both independently and as part of a team, throughout the development and production phases of the electronic assembly product lifecycle
• Able to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and supply to a culture of collaboration

Qualifications

• M.S. in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent
• 7+ years of experience in design, development, test, and operation of complex opto-electrical systems
• Experience in design and integration of sensors, cameras, or instruments for space vehicles and/or space environments
• Knowledge of signal processing and/or image processing techniques
• Knowledge of MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or other programming language
• Experience with analog, digital or mixed-signal circuit design, including analysis, simulation, test, troubleshooting, and part selection
• Knowledge of signal integrity, power, grounding, and general board layout principles
• Knowledge of radiation effects on electronics and how to apply this to designs targeting space applications