Payload Operations Engineer III (TS/SCI Required)

Blue Origin•Littleton, CO

11d

About The Position

This role is part of Blue Origin’s Blue National Security (BNS) Business Unit, which develops and delivers mission-critical space capabilities for national security, including the Blue Ring spacecraft. The Payload Operations Engineer supports Blue Ring mission readiness and execution by developing operational concepts and products for hosted and separable payloads, and serving on the on-console team. The role works closely with engineers across space and ground segments and with payload customers to ensure mission planning and payload operations are successful on orbit. The position calls for a systems thinker with a strong customer focus and the persistence and passion to build and execute space operations. It requires occasional shift work and on-call availability during mission-critical phases, anomaly resolution, and key customer milestones. Applicants must hold an active TS/SCI U.S. Government security clearance and meet the stated U.S. citizenship or immigration-status requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of experience in spacecraft operations development or execution.
Active Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) U.S. Government security clearance.
Experience developing spacecraft or hosted-payload operations products, such as procedures, telemetry displays, or technical documents.
Experience supporting external customers or government teams.
Ability to support on-console activities, including shift work, in a dynamic, real-time environment.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Space Systems, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Aerospace Engineering.
Direct support experience with a commercial or government spacecraft operations organization.
Proficiency with command-and-control scripting languages such as Python, SPELL, STOL, or JAS.
Experience with virtualized ground software, such as Command & Control, Mission Planning, Flight Dynamics, or Electronic Procedures.
Experience with mission planning and contact planning tools.
Experience with satellite fault management and/or onboard autonomy.
Familiarity with designing and evaluating operational readiness tests integrated with hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop simulators.

Responsibilities

Contribute to hosted and separable payload mission plans, operations concepts, tools, and processes for effective real-time operations.
Develop and implement spacecraft payload operations procedures, executables, telemetry displays, and other technical documentation.
Test and validate payload operations products in hardware and software simulation environments.
Support mission planning with geographically separated payload teams to meet operational objectives during on-orbit operations.
Support development of the spacecraft concept of operations, ensuring payload operability and efficiency.
Develop detailed test procedures with systems engineering teams to validate end-to-end ground-to-payload system capabilities.
Support mission readiness activities, including mission rehearsals, timeline development, and post-launch test planning.
Monitor payload state of health, analyze and trend performance data, and track system configurations during on-orbit execution.
Liaise between payload customers and the Blue Ring operations team during pre-launch coordination and long-term operations.
Support payload operations sequencing and its incorporation into the mission planning system.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Basic and supplemental life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
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.
Depending on role type and job level, potential eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and other factors; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.