New Glenn Recovery Operations Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN • Pensacola, FL

3d • 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. As part of a hardworking team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will support the off-shore recovery of the New Glenn first stage booster from touchdown to returning to port. This includes the vehicle operations required to safe and secure the booster, as well as the operations and technical ownership of the system on the Landing Platform Vessel (LPV) that interface with the booster. The ideal candidate is operations-focused, calm under pressure, and deeply committed to safety and mission success. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop procedures, real-time flight rules, and safety controls that protect our people, hardware, and environment while supporting an efficient launch cadence. Leveraging systems thinking, disciplined operations practices, and sound engineering judgment, you will help deliver on Blue Origin’s mission of building a road to space for the benefit of Earth.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university (other relevant technical fields may be considered).
• 5+ years of experience in flight operations, test operations, range/launch safety, mission control, marine/aviation operations, or other high-consequence operational environments.
• Demonstrated experience writing and executing technical procedures, checklists, or work instructions in English.
• Proven track record planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations with a strong safety mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in ambiguous, time-critical environments, make sound decisions with incomplete data, and maintain composure under pressure.
• Ability and willingness to support non-standard hours, shift work, and extended periods of on-site or field deployment during test, launch, and recovery campaigns.
• Ability to work in field environments (e.g., launch sites, test ranges, offshore or remote locations) including use of PPE, climbing ladders/stairs, standing for extended periods, and working in varied weather conditions, as required by the role.

Nice To Haves

• 8+ years of experience in launch operations, range safety, flight test, mission control, marine recovery, aviation operations, or similar mission-critical environments.
• Understanding of product lifecycle management for complex systems, including gated reviews, verification and validation, and configuration control.
• Experience operating or troubleshooting remote or autonomous systems such as remote-operated vehicles, ground control systems, or telemetry and command systems.
• Familiarity with relevant regulations and standards, including FAA/AST launch and reentry regulations and range safety practices, maritime regulations (e.g., USCG CFRs, ABS, DNV) where applicable, and OSHA or other industrial safety standards.
• Experience with test planning and execution, including defining objectives, writing test plans and procedures, conducting tests, and documenting results.
• Hands-on experience with hazardous systems such as high-pressure gas, hydraulic systems, cryogenic propellants, or energetic systems.
• Experience conducting hazard analyses, FMEA/FMECA, fault tree analysis, or quantitative risk assessments for complex operations.
• Proficiency with business and engineering tools such as MS Office and product lifecycle management (PLM) or requirements management systems (e.g., Windchill).
• For roles supporting offshore recovery operations, eligibility and willingness to obtain and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and to work on maritime vessels for extended periods.
• Prior experience in aerospace, defense, marine, or aviation industries, particularly in reusable or high-availability systems.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and continuously improve flight, launch, landing, and recovery operations for Blue Origin vehicles and missions.
• Develop and maintain operations products including procedures, checklists, flight rules, console user guides, playbooks, and contingency response plans.
• Schedule and provide engineering support for the preventative maintenance on the recovery systems that interface with the recovered booster to include the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), transit stands, and nitrogen system onboard the Landing Platform Vessel (LPV).
• Conduct root cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions for all dispositions relating to the recovery systems that interface with the booster from touchdown to return to port.
• Perform hazard identification, risk assessments, and launch safety analyses for flight and ground operations, ensuring risks are understood, communicated, and controlled.
• Define and validate operational requirements for flight and ground support equipment (GSE), including facilities, vehicles, vessels, communications, and recovery systems.
• Support mission readiness activities, including simulations, rehearsals, readiness reviews, go/no-go criteria, and launch commit/abort decision processes.
• Provide real-time operations support (e.g., console operations, field leadership, offshore/onshore coordination) throughout all phases of launch, flight, landing, and recovery.
• Lead or support anomaly response and post-flight investigations, including data review, root cause analysis, and development of corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure all operations comply with internal safety standards and external regulations (e.g., FAA, range safety, OSHA, and maritime/aviation regulations as applicable).
• Capture operational lessons learned and drive continuous improvement to enhance safety margins, reduce operational risk, increase reliability, and improve schedule and cost performance.
• Develop domain expertise in one or more areas such as launch operations, range safety, mission control/flight console operations, offshore recovery, aviation operations, or ground systems operations, while maintaining a broad understanding of end-to-end mission needs.

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