Jeff Colwell

About Jeff Colwell

Hardware Product Lead and Design Engineer with 15+ years of experience spanning avionics, power electronics, and high-reliability hardware for aerospace and advanced computing industries. I specialize in driving new product development from concept through production, ensuring robust designs that meet demanding performance, safety, and manufacturing standards.My career blends hands-on engineering expertise with technical leadership, guiding cross-functional teams across electrical, mechanical, thermal, environmental, and software disciplines. I partner closely with PCB/PCBA vendors and manufacturing teams to deliver production-ready hardware, from first prototypes to flight-qualified Line Replaceable Units (LRUs).Key strengths include:Leading hardware development for complex aerospace and computing systemsPCB/PCBA design and supplier engagement for production-level hardwareFailure analysis and root cause resolution for mission-critical systemsDriving reliability improvements in avionics and power systemsMentoring engineers and fostering collaboration across global teamsI thrive at the intersection of innovation, execution, and reliability, ensuring that complex designs transition into scalable, manufacturable products that perform in the most challenging environments.

Experience

1. Engine Avionics Hardware Product Lead

   Blue Origin

   Jun 2018 — Present · Renton, WA, US

   Lead hardware product development for avionics controllers operating rocket engines, guiding designs through build, test, operation, and vehicle integration.Drive execution of new designs and reliability improvements for reusable hardware across thermal, mechanical, electrical, and environmental disciplines.Partner with software, test, and manufacturing teams to deliver flight-qualified controllers, supporting ATP, QTP, flight release, and production guidelines.Mentor engineers and coordinate across multi-disciplinary teams to ensure robust design integration into manufacturing and vehicle-level systems.

Education

• Central Washington University

  EE, Engineering

  1996 — 2001

• University of Washington

  Certificate, Project Management

  2011 — 2011

Skills

• Project Engineering
• Ic
• Manufacturing
• Semiconductors
• Engineering Management
• R&D
• Analog Circuit Design
• Server Architecture
• Product Management
• Test Equipment
• Rf
• Hardware Architecture
• Testing
• Electrical Engineering
• Power Supplies
• Simulations
• Pspice
• Intel
• Product Development
• Six Sigma
• Hardware
• Research and Development (R&D)
• Cmos
• Integrated Circuits (Ic)
• Engineering
• Debugging
• Project Planning
• Electronics
• Design for Manufacturing
• Analog
• Power Management
• Power Electronics
• Labview
• Pcb Design