Materials and Process Engineer II – Friction Stir Welding

BLUE ORIGIN • West Melbourne, FL

2d

About The Position

The Materials and Process Engineer II supports materials and process engineering for the design and manufacturing of Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle. The primary day-to-day focus is developing, optimizing, and characterizing friction stir welding (FSW) processes for aluminum structures, including material characterization, design-for-production support, material selection, and quality control. The role supports production welding of full-scale cryogenic tanks and contributes to safe, repeatable spaceflight through careful engineering and attention to quality.

The engineer works closely with tank production teams to provide timely floor support and meet weld qualification deliverables in accordance with the launch schedule. The role also collaborates with quality assurance and engineering, and with cross-functional teams involved in selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers. Travel may be needed for reviews, training, and production support activities.

Applicants must meet the stated U.S. citizenship, permanent-residency, or protected immigration-status eligibility requirement associated with ITAR export controls. A standard background check is required for all positions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in materials engineering, welding engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of metallurgy experience, or relevant master’s-level education, with deep knowledge of the relationship between composition, process, microstructure, and properties in aerospace materials; aluminum alloys are preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience defining and qualifying welding processes, including fusion and/or solid-state processes.
• Experience developing and executing material-characterization plans, such as mechanical testing, environmental testing, and material compatibility analysis.
• Ability to build trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to an inclusive culture.
• 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

• Familiarity with friction stir welding of aluminum and/or aluminum-lithium alloys for aerospace applications.
• Past experience in the aerospace industry, including materials and processes.
• Proven experience sourcing, analyzing, manufacturing, and testing aerospace-grade materials such as aluminum and/or stainless steel.
• Ability to develop engineering requirements and work instruction documents.

Responsibilities

• Support production welding of full-scale cryogenic tanks.
• Lead or contribute to developing and optimizing friction stir welding processes to meet specification requirements.
• Troubleshoot weld tool equipment as required.
• Work with tank production teams to provide timely floor support and ensure weld qualification deliverables are met in accordance with the launch schedule.
• Contribute to weld process and qualification documentation and internal or external readiness reviews.
• Oversee metallographic and mechanical testing of welds and weld samples, and evaluate materials-characterization data or non-destructive testing results.
• Evaluate weld defects and recommend improvement plans or repair procedures.
• Work with quality assurance and engineering to rapidly disposition and document non-conformances for tank structure defects.
• Travel as needed for reviews, training, and other tank production support activities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers for aerospace hardware.
• Define and write material test plans for design value generation, arrange testing, and evaluate test data to develop statistics-based design values.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Basic and supplemental life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Short- and long-term disability
• 401(k) with company match of up to 5%
• Education Support Program
• Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
• Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
• Up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Possible benefits and bonuses depending on role type and job level; eligibility and amounts are not guaranteed

What This Job Offers

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