Senior NDT Engineer, Automated Inspection (Embedded, Advanced Manufacturing)

BLUE ORIGIN•Seattle, WA

3d•$145,188 - $203,263

About The Position

Blue Origin is hiring an embedded NDT engineer for its Advanced Manufacturing team, a multidisciplinary group developing new joining, materials, and automation processes for rocket hardware. The engineer will ensure new processes and parts can be inspected and architect automated eddy current and ultrasonic inspection systems for production-rate use. The role owns NDT requirements, instrumentation, and system interfaces from development through verification, qualification, and production hand-off, partnering with Blue Origin’s NDT Level III and Quality organizations on procedure approval and production acceptance. The position applies technical expertise and leadership to the development of rocket hardware and safe human spaceflight. It requires a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or person lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum. The role is subject to background checks as applicable to the job profile.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Materials, or Systems Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related field.
At least 7 years of NDT engineering experience in ultrasonic and/or eddy current inspection, including development or integration of mechanized or automated inspection systems in aerospace, nuclear, energy, or heavy industry.
Technical leadership on at least one mechanized or automated ultrasonic or eddy current inspection system from requirements through qualification and acceptance, including architecture, instrumentation selection, integration, and capability demonstration.
Depth in the physics of either ultrasonic or eddy current methods and working knowledge of the other. Ultrasonic knowledge includes acoustic impedance, frequency and wavelength selection, mode conversion, attenuation, beam spread, and phased-array focal laws; eddy current knowledge includes impedance plane analysis, skin depth, lift-off, phase, and probe geometry.
Experience working under a NAS 410 / EN 4179 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A written practice, including developing or qualifying inspection techniques and procedures with a Responsible Level III.
Working knowledge of ASTM and SAE AMS method standards, Nadcap, and AS9100.
Working knowledge of radiography and CT, penetrant, and visual methods sufficient to select methods and engage specialists.
Hands-on configuration of NDT instrumentation, including setup, probe and transducer selection, encoding, triggering, multiplexing, acquisition, and calibration.
Demonstrated authorship of equipment requirements, interface documents, trade studies, verification plans, procedures, and qualification reports, including derived requirements and traceability.
Experience with reference standard design and probability of detection or another statistical method-validation approach.
Working knowledge of motion and controls sufficient to define interfaces, including robot or gantry accuracy, encoders, position-synchronized acquisition, and PLC handshakes.
Ability to analyze inspection data in Python, MATLAB, or equivalent, and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and material specifications.
Ability to lead technical reviews and serve as the primary NDT expert on a multidisciplinary team.

Nice To Haves

Level III certification in ultrasonic and/or eddy current inspection (NAS 410 or ASNT); dual-method certification is a strong plus.
Experience with Nadcap NDT audits.
Experience as an embedded or sole NDT engineer on a manufacturing development or new product introduction team working alongside a central NDT or Quality organization.
Weld inspection experience, including friction stir and fusion welds, and characterization of defect populations from new joining processes.
Experience correlating NDT results with destructive testing, CT, or in-process monitoring data during process qualification.
Robot- or gantry-integrated ultrasonic or eddy current inspection, including squirter or immersion phased array and through-transmission.
Experience with advanced methods such as full matrix capture / total focusing method, eddy current array, or multi-frequency eddy current.
NDT simulation experience using CIVA or similar tools for coverage planning and response prediction.
Formal statistical training in probability of detection (MIL-HDBK-1823A), repeatability and reproducibility, or Six Sigma.
Experience preparing procurement specifications and statements of work for inspection equipment or automation integrators.
Experience inspecting large thin-wall aluminum, titanium, nickel, or stainless structures such as stiffened panels, domes, and tank skins.
Experience with scan-to-CAD registration, ASTM E2339 (DICONDE), and machine-learning-assisted defect recognition.
Master’s degree or Ph.D. in NDT, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Serve as the team’s NDT focal from concept through production hand-off, answer NDT questions, and determine when specialist or enterprise support is needed.
Partner with the responsible Level III and Quality organization to bring enterprise NDT requirements, procedures, and lessons learned into the team, and represent team systems for procedure approval, qualification, and production acceptance.
Design inspectability into new processes and parts by characterizing defect types, selecting inspection methods, and defining NDT content in process qualification plans, including correlation with destructive testing and in-process data.
Own automated NDT system requirements, derive performance requirements, flow them to system elements and suppliers, and maintain verification traceability and the requirements baseline.
Own the technical architecture of automated eddy current and ultrasonic systems, including phased array and through-transmission, and lead trade studies on methods, manipulators, coupling, instrumentation, and delivery approaches.
Define and control interfaces between NDT instrumentation, end-effectors and fixtures, motion control, and data systems using interface control documents.
Lead the team’s technical work on ultrasonic and eddy current physics within the Level III’s procedure and certification authority; specify, integrate, and configure instruments, probes, transducers, encoders, triggering, multiplexers, and couplant delivery.
Translate design acceptance limits into reference standards, NDT acceptance criteria, and inspection procedures, authored or co-authored with the responsible Level III.
Plan and lead verification and qualification, including capability demonstration, probability of detection, repeatability and reproducibility, and acceptance testing.
Set inspection data requirements with software engineers, including formats, encoding, registration to part geometry, and traceability; own labeled reference data for validating automated and AI-assisted analysis.
Evaluate supplier NDT instruments, probes, services, and procedures.
Lead requirements, design, and test readiness reviews; transition qualified systems to production inspection and support them until stable.
Mentor engineers on NDT fundamentals, instrumentation, and inspection-system requirements.
Ensure compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory standards.

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 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, potential eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.