Principal Software & AI Architect, Blue Engines

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!  

This role is part of the Blue Origin Engines business unit, where our focus is the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of engines and propulsion systems. Built for multiple uses, our family of engines is powering the next generation of rockets for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight.

Join our passionate and accomplished team of experts. You will support the Blue Engines business unit by delivering top-notch rocket engines. You'll develop software and AI driven solutions that support our program delivery and enables our business operating system. Your expertise in designing, developing, architecting enterprise software will be critical to our success.

You will split focus between hands‑on product/SaaS solution architecture (~70%) and business unit level (BU)/enterprise guardrails (~30%).

Key Responsibilities

Product & SaaS Solution Architecture (near‑term delivery)

• Own end‑to‑end architecture for the AI application: domain model, APIs, UX/backend integration, data flows, and cloud/Kubernetes topology.
• Define and implement multi-tenancy and isolation strategy (pooled vs. siloed vs. VPC), regionalization, and tenant‑aware observability/support.
• Establish SLAs/SLOs, rate limits/quotas, HA/DR, and resilience testing (chaos/failover); drive SLO/error‑budget practices.
• Build commercialization enablers: SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM provisioning, fine‑grained RBAC/ABAC/DBAC, a zero-trust architected entitlement service, metering/billing events, feature tiering, API versioning, webhooks/extension points.
• Stand up ML Ops: data pipelines, feature store, model registry, CI/CD for ML, offline/online eval harness, model rollback/kill switches, human‑in‑the‑loop workflows.
• Security & privacy by design: threat modeling (including AI‑specific risks), secrets/KMS, encryption at rest/in transit, audit logging, data retention/deletion, PII handling, secure SDLC controls (SAST/DAST/SBOM).
• Enterprise Architecture & Guardrails (BU‑level)
• Define BU architecture principles, capability map, and target state; publish reference architectures and an approved tech catalog.
• Set identity and integration standards (API/eventing), data governance (lineage, quality, residency), and IaC patterns; create “paved roads” (golden templates for services, pipelines, observability, security checks, w/ auditability).
• Spin‑out readiness: design boundary APIs with the parent company, plan data partitioning and key management, enforce cost isolation/chargeback, and ensure infrastructure portability with IaC.
• Establish lightweight governance (Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), design reviews, fast exceptions) that enables speed while managing risk.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Operate hands‑on with engineers and product leaders.
• Mentor & support engineers on the team.
• Communicate architecture decisions, trade‑offs, and risk clearly to executives, cross‑functional stakeholders, and customers; lead technical sessions with design partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor's ideally Master's degree in Computer Science with 10+ years in software architecture/engineering, including 5+ years leading architecture for customer‑facing SaaS products.
• Strong familiarity with AI and ML concepts
• Demonstrated experience shipping multi‑tenant (or VPC‑isolated) SaaS with defined SLAs and business customers.
• Deep cloud/platform skills: containers/Kubernetes, IaC (e.g., Terraform), networking, CI/CD, observability, performance/cost optimization.
• Security/compliance expertise: threat modeling, secure SDLC controls (SAST/DAST/SBOM), identity (OIDC/SAML) and provisioning (SCIM), audit logging; SOC 2 readiness or operation.
• Data and AI/ML systems: data pipelines/governance, model lifecycle and MLOps, evaluation/guardrails, responsible AI practices.
• Product mindset: understands packaging/entitlements, usage metering, versioning/compatibility, and impact on margins and customer experience.
• Excellent communication and influence across executives, customers, and engineers; ability to create clarity and drive decisions in ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Built and scaled “paved roads”/internal developer platforms adopted by multiple teams.
• Experience with carve‑outs/spin‑outs or architecting systems for separation and portability from day one.
• LLM systems exposure (retrieval, vector stores, prompt orchestration, evaluation frameworks, human‑in‑the‑loop).
• Experience with regulated/public sector customers and paths to FedRAMP or similar.
• Practice establishing Architecture Review Boards and mentoring software engineers.

 

Compensation Range for:

WA applicants is $230,773.00 - $323,081.85

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 may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants 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.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check

• Required 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

• Required 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 (CDL drivers only), vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.

• Required 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

Benefits

• Benefits 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.

• Paid Time Off:  Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

• Dependent 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue 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.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants 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 EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.

California Applicant Privacy Notice

If you are a California resident, please reference the CA Applicant Privacy Notice here.