Software Lead — Oasis - 1 Mission (space Resources Program)

Space Resources Program Software Owner

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!

This 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.

We believe that to preserve our planet, humanity must expand beyond our current limits, venturing into space to explore and harness new energy and material resources. In pursuit of this vision, we invite you to join our Space Resources Program, working alongside Blue Alchemist, Blue Origin's initiative to enable lunar surface power production and building blocks for humanity from local materials.

The Space Resources Program encompasses multiple projects; in this role, you will contribute across the portfolio, including the current Blue Alchemist effort and future initiatives. We're dedicated to developing and demonstrating Prospecting and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies for the Moon, Mars, and beyond. If our mission resonates with you and you are eager to contribute, you could be the perfect addition to our inclusive, open-minded, and forward-thinking team.

In this hands-on leadership role, you will work in a fully in-person capacity at our Los Angeles Space Resources Center of Excellence (SRCE) facility. You will serve as the software owner for the lunar prospecting mission Oasis-1, connecting flight and ground software, ultra-low-altitude navigation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds, and ground stations into a coherent, secure, reliable, and operable system. You will own mission flight and ground software architectures; lead fault management implementation; stand up and operate HIL benches; validate ground station compatibility; and execute cybersecurity work package and accreditation inputs. You will lead a small software team, collaborate closely with Systems, Instruments, Mission Operations, and Quality, and engage external partners to ensure secure, reliable end-to-end operations.

About Project Oasis and Oasis-1: Project Oasis is Blue Origin's lunar prospecting campaign to map and ultimately harvest key resources, enabling a commercial Earth–Moon economy. It progresses in three phases: (1) Orbital Reconnaissance Oasis-1; (2) Surface Resource Validation; (3) Extraction Operations. Oasis-1 (Phase 1) will deliver ~9x better spatial resolution resource maps than currently exist by flying two low-flying SmallSats, deployed by the MK1 lander into a 10 x 50 km orbit with periapsis near the Moon's South Pole. Its instruments map water-ice, proxies for helium-3, platinum group elements, and rare earth elements, plus radionuclides. After 90 days of global mapping, a 10-day secondary mission performs a controlled deorbit to impact downrange of the most water-rich sites.

We value self-motivated, hands-on leaders who can find practical solutions to abstract problems. Our teams work in fast-paced cycles of design, analysis, and operations to deliver scalable solutions. We're looking for someone adaptable, willing to take action, eager to learn, and committed to a highly dedicated and open-minded team of team players working together, all while embracing a culture of safety and quality. Your creativity, innovative spirit, and ability to navigate changing requirements are crucial.

Conditions of Employment: Offer and start are contingent upon contract award/funding and required internal approvals. If the contract is not awarded, the role may be paused or canceled.

Location and Travel: Fully in-person role based at our Los Angeles (North Hollywood) SRCE facility.

Key Responsibilities and Core Deliverables:

• Software leadership and strategy: Define and own the flight and ground software architecture and development plan aligned to Oasis-1 mission ConOps, guidance, navigation, and control needs, and stakeholder objectives. Deliver software architecture, roadmap, standards, and documentation.
• Requirements, interfaces, and quality: Define software requirements, ICDs, acceptance criteria, and quality metrics; ensure traceability to system requirements and Oasis-1 mission objectives. Deliver configuration-controlled requirements, ICDs, verification plans, and review records.
• Flight software: Lead design and implementation of real-time flight software, fault management, and ultra-low altitude navigation algorithms in coordination with GNC and systems. Deliver qualified flight software releases with unit/integration tests, coverage reports, and as-built release documentation.
• Ground software and mission control: Own ground segment software for commanding, telemetry, and data handling; validate ground station compatibility and secure communications. Deliver ground software releases, end-to-end link test reports, and operator procedures.
• Hardware in the Loop (HIL) benches, simulation, and test: Stand up and operate HIL benches and closed-loop simulations; integrate instruments and avionics for end-to-end testing. Deliver HIL readiness reviews, automated regression suites, test reports, anomaly investigations, and closures.
• Cybersecurity and accreditation: Execute the cybersecurity work package with the Cybersecurity Lead; implement controls, key management, and secure-ops procedures; provide accreditation inputs. Deliver a cybersecurity plan with the Cybersecurity Lead, control implementation evidence, and incident response playbooks.

• Verification, validation, and reviews: Own the software V&V plan; lead software content at gated reviews; maintain audit-ready artifacts. Deliver verification matrices, test results, discrepancies/closures, and gate-readiness packages.

• Operations readiness and support: Coordinate with Mission Operations to prepare commissioning and nominal/contingency procedures; support rehearsals and on-console operations as needed. Deliver operations readiness demos, on-call playbooks, and final closeout documentation.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Interface with Instruments, Systems, Lead Scientist, Mission Assurance/Quality, and external ground station providers to align interfaces, schedules, and risk mitigations. Deliver team operating rhythms, interface agreements, and change-control submissions for software impacts.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, electrical/computer engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 10+ years of experience delivering flight and/or ground software for spacecraft or similarly safety/mission-critical systems.
• Demonstrated ownership of fault management or navigation software; experience integrating with GNC and avionics.
• Hands-on experience building and operating HIL benches and closed-loop simulations; end-to-end RF/ground station compatibility testing.
• Proficiency in modern software development for embedded and ground systems (e.g., C/C++ for RTOS/Linux; Python for tools/automation) and version control (e.g., Git).
• Experience defining software requirements/ICDs, verification plans, and acceptance criteria; operating within formal reviews and change-control processes.
• Familiarity with secure communications and cybersecurity control implementation for mission systems.
• Strong collaboration skills in fast-paced environments; ability to coordinate cross-functional teams (instruments, systems, mission ops, quality).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a related field; 12+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with small satellite missions, CCSDS or similar space communications protocols, and ground station network integration.
• Expertise in spacecraft navigation methods (e.g., guidance laws, EKF/UKF, FDIR/FMECA-driven fault management).
• Depth in test automation and CI/CD for embedded and ground software; experience with static/dynamic analysis and code quality tooling.
• Experience leading software through gated reviews with audit-ready artifacts.
• Cybersecurity accreditation experience and familiarity with common control frameworks for space/ground systems.
• Experience integrating instrument drivers, data handling pipelines, time synchronization, and performance telemetry.
• International collaboration experience and familiarity with data governance/export control considerations.

Compensation Range for: CA applicants is $177,567.00-$248,593.80 Other site ranges may differ

Culture 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 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