Control Systems Engineer III

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

2d • $164,652 - $230,513

About The Position

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 supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.
As part of a hardworking and complementary team of engineers, you will develop and verify inner-loop flight control applications for New Glenn launch vehicle systems. Together, we will positively contribute to all aspects of developing and verifying control software applications. Our team serves in several traditionally distinct roles: Systems Engineering, Fluids Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Software Development, and Software Verification. We build and validate engineering simulations of fluids subsystems to verify that control algorithms and software satisfy requirements. Successful team members demonstrate excellent engineering judgment and an ability to work independently with minimal direction and supervision.
We are looking for engineers to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to positively advance safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required and is a key indicator of a successful candidate!

Requirements

• Strong engineering fundamentals; particularly in modeling dynamics and model validation.
• Deep understanding of fundamentals of controls, frequency response analysis, stability margins etc.
• Experience with filtering, state estimation (Kalman filters, extended Kalman filters) and optimal control techniques (LQR, LQG)
• High proficiency in Simulink and MATLAB for modeling, simulation, control design, and automatic code generation.
• Experience with analysis-based software verification and unit testing (software-in-loop and hardware-in-loop)
• Practical experience in software development, including embedded C or C++ programming.
• Proficiency with software configuration management tools such as git, subversion.
• Excellent technical writing and verbal communication skills.
• B.S. (or M.S. or Ph.D.) in aerospace, mechanical, or related engineering with 5+ years of real project experience.
• Ability to support 40–50-hour work weeks with occasionally higher effort as required to meet schedule.
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and strengthen our culture of inclusion.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

• Substantial experience and success developing controls for real systems.
• Simulation experience with high-pressure gas and cryogenic propellant systems.
• Test support experience for bench testing or integrated testing of similar systems
• Deep knowledge of systems engineering for safety-critical systems.
• Experience with rockets, missiles, or other aerospace vehicle systems.

Responsibilities

• Model-based design and control software development for multiple simultaneous New Glenn configurations
• Collaborate across New Glenn Autonomy with fluids, systems engineering, software integration, avionics and vehicle operation teams
• Conduct Monte Carlo simulations and covariance analysis for system performance characterization
• Support Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing
• Deliver software for vehicle testing and flight
• Support bench tests, integrated vehicle tests and flight operations including basic operator training

Benefits

• 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.
• 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, 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior