Senior Automation Project Engineer

Blue Origin•Hutto, TX

20h•$181,626 - $254,275

About The Position

Blue Origin’s Factory Automation team is part of the Advanced Manufacturing organization within Operations. The team acts as an in-house automation integrator, designing, building, and deploying custom equipment and systems that enable scalable, repeatable production across Blue Origin’s manufacturing business units. Its work develops manufacturing capabilities and automated solutions that support delivery across current and future programs. The Senior Automation Project Engineer brings hands-on technical experience in mechanical and/or controls engineering for industrial automation, as well as leadership experience driving complex projects from requirements through delivery of production-ready systems. This is a delivery-focused role rather than a conceptual or research-and-development position; candidates should have demonstrated experience delivering automated manufacturing systems that operate in production. The engineer is expected to reason from first principles, challenge requirements that hinder scalable automation, and advocate for designs that support repeatable, efficient manufacturing. Applicants 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. The position requires a standard background check. Certain job profiles may also require additional checks or credentials, as applicable.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls, Mechatronics, or a related engineering field.
Minimum 5 years of hands-on technical experience designing, building, and commissioning automated manufacturing systems.
Minimum 2 years in a project management, technical lead, or equivalent leadership role on capital equipment or automation projects.
Hands-on industrial automation experience in mechanical design, controls engineering, or both, sufficient to lead engineering teams, evaluate technical feasibility, and make informed design decisions.
Experience with automation simulation and cycle-time analysis using tools such as Process Simulate, Visual Components, FlexSim, or similar.
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 PLC, CNC, and robot programming concepts and limitations sufficient to evaluate technical feasibility and communicate effectively with controls engineers.
Experience with industrial automation applications such as welding, machining, drilling, surface finishing, forming, material handling, NDT, metrology, or machine vision.
PMP certification or formal project management training.
Experience developing capital project budgets and cost models for automation systems, including vendor quote analysis and should-cost modeling.
Experience developing scopes of work, RFQs, or technical specifications for procuring automation subsystems, components, devices, and equipment from external suppliers for internally developed and integrated automation solutions.
Demonstrated ability to apply engineering first principles, including mechanics, control theory, and systems thinking, to evaluate automation feasibility, identify root causes, and develop technically sound solutions to novel manufacturing challenges.

Responsibilities

Engage internal customers to define, document, and validate system requirements for automated manufacturing solutions.
Develop conceptual simulations and cycle-time models of individual machines and production lines to evaluate and recommend automation strategies and production-line architectures.
Develop initial conceptual solutions for automated manufacturing equipment, present solutions and justifications to customer stakeholders, and refine approaches based on feedback.
Lead Design for Automated Manufacturing initiatives with product design teams; recommend product modifications to improve automated manufacturability and reduce system complexity.
Prepare cost estimates, labor-hour projections, and project schedules for proposed automation solutions; develop scopes of work for individual machinery for delivery to internal customers.
Own project execution from requirements definition through commissioning, maintaining schedule, budget, and scope alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
Maintain comprehensive technical knowledge of assigned projects and serve as the primary point of accountability for system requirements, design decisions, and project status.
Identify and evaluate automation component suppliers, and support procurement and sourcing decisions.
Collaborate with engineering teams during detailed design, provide technical clarification, and maintain alignment with conceptual intent.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and 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 all 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, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company’s intent to reward individual contributions and enable employees to share in company results; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.