Senior Wireless Software Engineer – MAC Layer

BLUE ORIGIN

Senior Wireless Software Engineer leading the custom MAC layer implementation for TeraWave's satellite communications network. Collaborating with diverse teams to ensure optimal wireless performance in space environments.

Posted 5/30/2026full-timeCalifornia, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $197,529 - $276,539 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

LinuxRTOS

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Architect and implement high-performance, low-overhead MAC protocols tailored for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint satellite links within the TeraWave constellation
Develop sophisticated TDMA and demand-assigned multiple access (DAMA) schedulers to manage bandwidth across thousands of beams with microsecond precision
Implement robust error control, retransmission (ARQ), and adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) logic capable of reacting instantly to fading conditions and orbital transitions
Build software logic for seamless make-before-break handovers between satellites and ground stations operating in high-velocity orbital environments
Optimize the interface between the wireless MAC layer and high-speed packet processing engines such as DPDK and VPP, ensuring zero-copy data paths and minimal jitter
Design MAC layer architectures for constellation-scale deployments, ensuring efficient performance as the TeraWave network grows to thousands of satellites
Collaborate with PHY layer engineers and network architects to align custom wireless stack design with system-level TeraWave performance requirements
Drive technical decision-making related to MAC layer architecture, including framing strategies, contention versus scheduled access models, flow control, and QoS prioritization frameworks
Lead MAC protocol development through the full lifecycle, from custom state machine design and simulation through hardware integration and field testing

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
7+ years of professional software development experience in wireless networking or embedded systems
Mastery of C and C++ in Linux real-time (RTOS) or high-performance user-space environments
Deep understanding of wireless MAC fundamentals, including framing, contention versus scheduled access, flow control, and QoS prioritization
Demonstrated experience with the full lifecycle of a wireless protocol stack, from architectural design through hardware integration and field testing
Previous work on custom MAC or link layers for satellite constellations, 3GPP/4G/5G, or similar non-terrestrial network programs preferred
Experience with user-space networking frameworks such as DPDK, VPP, or eBPF for line-rate packet processing preferred
Proficiency in building or using network simulators such as ns-3 to model protocol performance under various orbital conditions preferred
Familiarity with interfacing software with FPGAs or custom SoC accelerators for hardware-accelerated MAC functions preferred

Benefits

Comp & perks

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%
Education Support Program
Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
Up to 14 company-paid holidays
Eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

CC++Linuxreal-time operating systems (RTOS)wireless MAC protocolsTDMAdemand-assigned multiple access (DAMA)error controladaptive modulation and coding (AMC)network simulators

Soft Skills

technical decision-makingcollaborationleadership