{"id":1482747,"url":"https://alion.io/job/blue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers","title":"Principal Software Engineer, Compute Architect, Orbital Data Centers","company":{"id":3698,"name":"Blue Origin","domain":"blueorigin.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/blueorigin","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":78,"open_postings":294,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.888,"repost_share":0.003,"time_to_fill_p50_days":29,"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Littleton, United States","Huntsville, United States","San Diego, United States","Cupertino, United States","Los Angeles, United States","Renton, United States","Reston, United States","United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":230773,"max":323081,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":323081},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Docker","optional":false},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":false},{"name":"Nomad","optional":false},{"name":"Service Mesh","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-29T21:41:55Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T14:59:24Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":15,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":15},"description":"Application close date:\nApplications 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!\nThis role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design.Job Summary\nJoin Blue Origin as we build infrastructure in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re developing a satellite constellation of orbital data centers, Sunrise, designed to transform how compute infrastructure is deployed and leveraged.\nAs a Principal Software Engineer for Compute, you will be the chief architect and hands-on developer of the \"operating system\" for our space-based data centers. This is a senior, individual contributor role where you will operate with a high degree of autonomy to solve one of our most critical challenges: making a distributed fleet of computers in orbit function as a single, cohesive, and programmable platform. Your primary focus will be to define the spacecraft software stack to process AI jobs are received including, but not limited to planning, scheduling, management, storage, start-up/shut down, and handoffs. This will enable the craft to be best-in-class. You will have to be comfortable enabling high efficiency for multi-tenant workloads while being constrained on power, thermal, and connectivity.\nResponsibilities include but are not limited to:\nDefinition, architecture, design, test, and validation of spacecraft compute software.\nArchitect and build the orchestration platform for managing containerized workloads across a distributed fleet of orbital compute nodes.\nDesign and implement advanced scheduling algorithms to optimize for power, thermal constraints, workload priority, and data locality.\nDevelop the control plane, APIs, and related software that enable multi-tenancy, resource allocation, and job submission for workloads.\nOwn the software-defined networking and storage strategies\nDesign for a highly-available system that rapidly handle failures, intermittent connectivity, and complex orchestration across spacecraft.\nLead the technical strategy for the entire orchestration stack, from the container runtime and OS-level primitives to the highest-level service layers.\nLead validation and testing campaigns while working on aggressive timelines for deployment.\nWork closely with hardware and application teams to co-design a platform that is performant, operable, and meets customer needs.\nMinimum Qualifications:\nBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a similar technical discipline.\n10+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, or large-scale backend services.\nDeep expertise in building and operating distributed systems, with strong experience in cloud orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes, Mesos, Nomad) and containerization (e.g., Docker).\nProven experience designing and developing large-scale, high-availability software services and APIs.\nStrong system-architecture capabilities, particularly in the context of cloud-native technologies.\nExperience providing technical leadership for complex software projects.\nProven demonstration of reducing latency across a product.\nPreferred Qualifications:\nExperience building custom schedulers, controllers, or operators for Kubernetes.\nDeep knowledge of OS-level resource management and optimization.\nExperience building Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products.\nFamiliarity with service mesh technologies and software-defined networking.\nExperience designing systems that are highly autonomous.\nStartup experience or a similar environment where building from the ground up is required.\nFamiliarity with the latest compute hardware (GPUs, accelerators) and their integration into orchestrated environments.\nFamiliarity with the latest trends in distributed computing.\nAdditional Requirements:\nWillingness to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to support critical project milestones.\nMust be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible for authorization under U.S. export regulations.\nBase Pay Range for:\nCA applicants is $230,773.00 - $323,081.85\nCO applicants is $218,520.00 - $305,926.95\nWA applicants is $230,773.00 - $323,081.85\nVA applicants is $230,773.00 - $323,081.85Other site ranges may differ\nCulture Statement\nDon’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 an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.\nExport Control Regulations\nApplicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.\nBackground Check\nRequired for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check\nRequired for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation\nRequired for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.\nRequired for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical\nBenefits\nBenefits include: 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%, and an Education Support Program.\nStock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)\nPaid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.\nDependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details. \nEqual Employment Opportunity\nBlue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on “Know Your Rights,” please see here.\nAffirmative Action and Disability Accommodation\nApplicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at . Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9123,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Life insurance","Parental leave","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"},{"name":"Virginia","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Washington","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"Colorado","iso":null,"kind":"city"},{"name":"California","iso":null,"kind":"city"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Satellite Manufacturing","Ground Systems","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-29T21:41:55Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"Filed H-1B visas in the last two years","filings_12m":0,"filings_prev_12m":1,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-03T21:08:04+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":52,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.575,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":14,"expected_fill_days":29,"reasons":["conf:5","stale_co","velocity","win:mid","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":323081,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/blue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/blue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-15T03:34:31Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4985,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3698},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3698"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fblue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fblue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fblue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/blue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fblue-origin-principal-software-engineer-compute-architect-orbital-data-centers"}]}