Jettison Design Engineer, New Glenn 9x4 Interstage

BLUE ORIGIN • West Melbourne, FL

4d • $121,023 - $169,432 • Onsite

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. We are hiring a Responsible Engineer (RE) and Single-Threaded Leader (STL) for the Interstage Adapter Assembly (ISA) separation system on New Glenn Gen 2 (9x4 configuration). This person will own the full technical scope of the Gen 2 ISA separation system — from requirements through design, analysis, test, qualification, and flight certification. They will be the single point of accountability for separation system performance on the 9x4 vehicle and will lead a cross-functional team of analysts, designers, test engineers, and manufacturing engineers to deliver flight-certified hardware for Gen 2's first flight and beyond.

Requirements

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
• 5 years of experience in aerospace structural/mechanical systems, with at least 3 years in a Responsible Engineer or technical lead role
• Direct experience with separation systems: frangible joints, linear shaped charges, hold-down release mechamism, marman clamps, V-band clamps, or pyrotechnic severance devices
• Strong understanding of pyrotechnic shock environments — generation, propagation, specification, and attenuation
• Experience owning hardware through the full lifecycle: requirements → design → analysis → test → qual → flight
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority — driving alignment across structures, dynamics, GNC, avionics, and operations
• Experience with qualification testing of ordnance or separation systems, including test specification development and anomaly resolution
• Fluency in engineering analysis methods (FEA, explicit dynamics, or structural test) sufficient to direct analysts and critically review their work
• Experience with PLM/PDM systems (Windchill or equivalent) for design data management and engineering release
• Track record of closing technical problems end-to-end — not just identifying issues, but driving them to verified resolution
• Strong written and verbal communication — ability to present to leadership and defend technical positions at review boards
• 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

• MS in Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Structural Dynamics
• Direct experience with launch vehicle stage separation specifically (Atlas, Delta, Vulcan, Falcon, or similar)
• Familiarity with LS-DYNA or equivalent explicit dynamics tools (Abaqus/Explicit, AUTODYN) — sufficient to guide modeling strategy even if not running daily
• Experience managing ordnance/pyrotechnic safety programs (AFSPCMAN 91-710 or equivalent)
• Background in shock isolation design (isolators, attenuators, structural filtering) for sensitive equipment protection
• Experience with New Glenn or similar heavy-lift vehicle programs
• History of supporting launch certification gates (CDR, FRR, PFDR)
• Familiarity with booster reuse requirements and how they constrain separation system design
• Experience with mission assurance requirements (NASA-STD-5001 or equivalent)

Responsibilities

• Technical Ownership of jettison system for the Interstage Adapter: Separation system architecture — frangible joint, linear shaped charge (LSC), or similar release mechanism, initiation system, redundancy scheme, and separation plane definition
• Pusher / kick-off system — pneumatic or pyrotechnic pushers providing post-separation relative velocity; force-time profile specification and hardware selection
• Shock attenuation & management — defining shock isolation strategies for ISA-mounted components; specifying SRS environments at equipment interfaces
• Separation sequencing requirements — defining timing, ordnance firing sequences, and GNC interface requirements for stage separation
• Structural interface — separation plane joint design, ensuring structural integrity under all flight load cases prior to separation
• Lifecycle Ownership of all aspects of the Jettison System:
• Requirements — derive separation system requirements from vehicle-level specs (separation velocity, tip-off rate limits, shock limits, clearance envelopes, reliability)
• Design — lead trade studies and architecture decisions; own the separation system design solution and drawing tree
• Analysis — oversee explicit dynamics simulation (LS-DYNA), shock propagation analysis, structural margins, and environments definition; review and approve analyst work
• Test — define qualification and acceptance test requirements; own test success criteria; lead test readiness reviews (TRR) and test anomaly resolution
• Qualification — drive separation system qual program to completion; manage qual status and open work through certification gates
• Production — support manufacturing readiness; define acceptance criteria for flight hardware; disposition nonconformances on separation system components
• Flight operations — support vehicle integration in Florida; own separation system constraints in countdown and flight rules; support post-flight data review
• Cross-Functional Leadership (STL Role)
• Lead a virtual team of 3–6 engineers (dynamics analysts, mechanical designers, test engineers, M&P engineers) without direct reports — influence through technical authority
• Coordinate across GNC, Avionics, Propulsion, and Flight Software for separation event sequencing and interface definition
• Interface with GS1 Recovery team on post-separation booster state and refurbishment requirements
• Drive decisions at design reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR, QR) and represent separation systems at vehicle level review boards
• Own the separation system schedule — identify long-lead items, qual risks, and critical path activities; escalate blockers proactively
• Represent separation systems in launch certification (CDR, PFDR) — defend readiness with data

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.

What This Job Offers

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