Prin Structural Production Support and Sustaining Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN•West Melbourne, FL

About The Position

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. This role supports the development, production, integration, and operations of New Glenn Stage 2 (GS2) hardware. You will serve as the primary technical interface between design engineering and the factory floor, ensuring that hardware is producible, conforming, and ready to support a demanding launch manifest. As part of a hardworking, multidisciplinary team, you will own complex production issues, lead cross-functional problem solving, and drive long-term improvements in build flow, quality, and reliability. You will represent GS2 across design, manufacturing, test, and launch site operations, and provide technical leadership and mentorship to liaison and sustaining engineers. This position directly impacts safe, reliable, and repeatable spaceflight and will require your sustained focus, sound engineering judgment, and passion for our mission. As we transition from initial design, release, and qualification testing of flight hardware to the production and operational phase, you will be responsible for supporting production, ongoing testing, and mission operations. We are looking for someone to apply deep technical expertise, leadership skills, and a commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required.

Requirements

B.S. degree in engineering or related field and typically 10+ years of experience with aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
Significant experience supporting production of large metallic aerospace structures (e.g., tanks, primary structure, pressure vessels) on the factory floor.
Demonstrated expertise in structural design and analysis of metallic structures, including classical methods and FEA, with a strong understanding of load paths and margins.
Proven experience as an MRB or equivalent authority, including ownership of complex nonconformance dispositions, repairs, and rework on flight hardware.
Strong background in design for manufacturability and production support, including collaboration with weld, machining, assembly, and NDE teams.
Proficiency with CAD (Creo/Windchill preferred) and ability to interpret complex drawings, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), and large assemblies.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams through high-urgency issues while maintaining technical rigor and clear documentation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership and influencing priorities across multiple organizations.
Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing engineers and establishing technical standards or best practices.
Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or other protected status as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).

Nice To Haves

Experience with cryogenic tanks and structures, including relevant materials, weld processes (specifically friction stir weld), and verification methods.
Experience supporting high-rate production or fleet sustainment of reusable launch vehicles or similarly complex aerospace systems.
Demonstrated impact reducing defect rates, cycle times, or recurring production issues through systemic corrective actions.
Familiarity with buckling, fatigue, and fracture mechanics as applied to repairs, damage tolerance, and life management of metallic structures.
Experience with structured problem-solving methodologies and data analysis tools for production and quality metrics.
Proficiency with one or more industry-standard analysis tools: Ansys, Nastran, Optistruct, LS-DYNA, Hypermesh, Hypersizer, NASGRO, Abaqus.
Knowledge of systems engineering, configuration management, and quality systems in a regulated or safety-critical environment.
Experience with fabrication and integration of large-scale metallic aerospace structures.

Responsibilities

Apply deep aerospace design expertise to guide structural configuration, interface definition, and design decisions that balance performance, producibility, and mission requirements for GS2 hardware.
Own and drive engineering change proposals from concept through implementation to improve design for manufacturability, simplify assemblies, and enable other rate-enabling changes across GS2 hardware.
Serve as the technical authority and primary point of contact for production support of GS2 hardware across multiple build sites and shifts.
Lead rapid response to production issues, including nonconformances, build blockers, test escapes, and in-service findings; drive timely root cause, containment, and corrective actions.
Chair or act as key MRB representative for GS2 hardware; disposition complex nonconformances, ensuring structural integrity, safety margins, and configuration control.
Lead complex structural assessments to support repair, rework, and use-as-is dispositions for weld defects, machining errors, damage, and assembly mismatches.
Drive cross-functional investigations with design, analysis, manufacturing engineering, NDE, quality, and test to resolve recurring defects and systemic production risks.
Own and prioritize a portfolio of production health metrics (defect rates, rework, cycle time, first pass yield); develop data-driven action plans and track closure to measurable improvement.
Champion design-for-manufacturability and design-for-test feedback into upstream design teams; lead design changes that reduce build time, risk, and cost for GS2 hardware.
Guide development and approval of repairs, rework instructions, and standard repair and disposition manuals; ensure solutions are robust, repeatable, and scalable across vehicles and flow positions.
Partner closely with manufacturing engineers and shop leadership to optimize build sequences, tooling strategies, and inspection plans for tanks, structures, and interfaces.
Lead readiness for major build and test milestones (e.g., closeout, proof and leak testing, structural testing, vehicle mate) and support anomaly resolution at test and launch sites.
Plan and perform structural sizing using hand calculations and FEA; coordinate with analysis specialists as needed for complex assessments.
Perform and document access studies, loss-of-clearance analyses, and configuration studies to support new missions and late-arising changes.
Provide technical leadership and coaching to liaison, sustaining, and manufacturing engineers; set standards for issue documentation, analysis quality, and communication.
Represent GS2 in cross-program forums, including readiness reviews, configuration control boards, and anomaly review boards.
Develop and maintain production support procedures, best practices, and training materials to improve consistency and onboarding effectiveness.
Identify and champion strategic investments in tooling, NDE methods, instrumentation, and data systems that improve producibility, quality, and fleet insight.