PLL IC Design Engineer – TeraWave

Job Title

PLL IC Design Engineer – TeraWave

Role Summary

Design and deliver integrated Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) and clocking systems for Blue Origin's TeraWave satellite communications program. Work within an IC design team to define requirements, implement circuits, verify silicon, and support production bring-up.

Experience Level

Senior — requires 7+ years of experience in PLL and analog/RF IC design.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include system- and circuit-level design, verification, and delivery of PLLs and clock distribution for advanced CMOS processes.

• Own system and circuit design of PLLs and clock distribution circuits in advanced CMOS processes, focusing on performance trade-offs.
• Develop mixed-signal PLL designs using Spectre and AMS flows.
• Collaborate with RF and SoC architects to define PLL and sub-block requirements from system specifications.
• Manage layout integration, floorplanning, and verification through tape-out.
• Work with validation and product teams to create test plans, support bring-up, and optimize production yield and reliability.
• Investigate and implement analog building blocks to improve circuit performance.
• Mentor junior engineers on analog design best practices.

Requirements

Key must-have technical skills, plus a short list of desirable extras.

• Must-have: 7+ years experience designing and developing fractional-N PLLs, DLLs, and related sub-circuits in FinFET CMOS (7 nm or more advanced).
• Must-have: Extensive experience designing PLL building blocks: VCOs, integer and fractional prescalers, PFDs, charge pumps, etc.
• Must-have: Experience with clock-domain synchronization and multi-PLL systems.
• Must-have: Experience in clock distribution design and optimization (clock trees, frequency multipliers/dividers, CML buffers, inductive peaking).
• Must-have: Proficiency in mixed-mode modeling, simulation, and verification using MATLAB, Spectre, SystemVerilog, and AMS tool flows; strong PLL silicon characterization and debugging experience.
• Must-have: Proficiency in analog/RF building blocks: amplifiers, filters, clock buffers, and bias generators.
• Must-have: Authorization to work in the U.S.: U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted refugee/asylee.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with ADPLL and sub-sampling PLLs; experience with LDOs and op-amps.
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with device physics for process selection and basic digital verification practices.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline (as stated). No Master's/PhD or "equivalent experience" language appears; degree requirement explicitly specifies a Bachelor's in EE or related field.

About the Company

Company: Blue Origin

Headquarters: Kent, Washington, United States

Blue Origin is an American aerospace company developing technologies for spaceflight, including reusable launch vehicles, orbital and suborbital systems, and space infrastructure for commercial and government customers.