Senior Operations Training Engineer (TS/SCI Required) - Blue Ring

BLUE ORIGIN•Reston, VA

5d•$144,179 - $219,522•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Operations Training Engineer will support Blue National Security and the Blue Ring spacecraft program by ensuring spacecraft operators are trained, certified, and ready before launch. The role works with teams across space and ground segments to develop curriculum, build and conduct exercises and mission rehearsals, and evaluate and certify operators. It is based in the Reston, Virginia, or Denver, Colorado office, with relocation provided and travel expected up to 20% to support training events, rehearsals, and working sessions. Varied workday hours, off-hours or shift-based training, and on-call support may be required. The engineer owns one or more training areas end to end, from task analysis through evaluation. Responsibilities include systematic instructional design, scenario development, simulation supervision, instruction and debriefing, operator certification and currency, training records and readiness reporting, and defining and validating simulator requirements. The role coordinates with spacecraft subsystem, ground software, and other engineering teams to keep training technically accurate as the vehicle and operational products evolve. It also supports training for broader mission teams, mentors junior training engineers, and improves training using lessons learned and effectiveness measures.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI security clearance.
B.S. in Engineering, Physical Science, Education, or a related field, or equivalent military training and experience.
At least 8 years of experience operating spacecraft or training spacecraft operators, including at least 4 years designing, delivering, and evaluating training for satellite operations crews.
Hands-on experience running operator training in a simulator or on a live system, including building scenarios, injecting failures, and evaluating crew response.
Experience writing training course materials, including lesson objectives and plans, evaluation criteria, and hands-on training activities.
Experience evaluating and certifying operators against a written standard.
Working knowledge of spacecraft subsystems—including GNC, power, propulsion, thermal, command and data handling, and communications—and the ground segment, sufficient to write credible failure scenarios and judge crew responses.
Strong facilitation and communication skills to lead technical training and debriefs.
Ability to travel up to 20% of the time; travel frequency may vary based on mission phase or concurrent missions.
Ability to support varied workday hours, including off-hours or shift-based training; on-call support may be required.
Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Ability to build positive professional relationships, earn trust, contribute to an inclusive culture, and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.
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

Instructor qualification on an operational satellite system, such as Space Force crew instructor or formal training unit instructor experience.
Standardization and Evaluation (Stan/Eval) evaluator experience on an operational satellite system, including conducting qualification evaluations, grading against written standards, and maintaining unit standards and checklists.
Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School Weapons Instructor Course (space weapons officer) or an equivalent advanced instructor program, with experience training unit instructors and planning, running, and debriefing large-scale exercises.
Experience building or revising initial qualification, mission qualification, and continuation training syllabi, and managing crew qualification and currency across a unit.
Experience as an operator, crew commander, or mission lead on a satellite system such as communications, navigation, missile warning, space domain awareness, or orbital warfare.
Experience planning and running exercises or multi-crew rehearsal campaigns with mission partners or external agencies.
Experience developing training for maneuvering spacecraft, rendezvous and proximity operations, or hosted and separable payloads.
M.S. in Engineering, Instructional Systems Design, or a related field.
Experience with Training Management Systems.
Experience defining requirements for and integrating simulators or other training assets, including malfunction modeling and scenario scripting.
Proficiency with Python and/or command-and-control scripting languages.
Experience working with virtualized ground software, such as Command & Control, Mission Planning, Flight Dynamics, Electronic Procedures, and Software Simulators.
Experience defining and tracking training effectiveness metrics and continuously improving training content.

Responsibilities

Own one or more Blue Ring training areas end to end, from task analysis through final evaluation.
Develop training using a systematic instructional design process, including task analysis, learning objectives, lesson plans, evaluation criteria, and hands-on events.
Write and run simulation scenarios covering nominal operations, subsystem failures, ground-segment outages, and compound anomalies.
Serve as simulation supervisor and lead instructor for integrated exercises and mission rehearsals; conduct debriefs and translate findings into training updates and procedure change requests.
Evaluate operator proficiency and currency through written, practical, and on-console evaluations; recommend certification or decertification and develop remedial or contingency training as needed.
Define and maintain certification flows and training records in the training management system, and report team readiness to mission leadership ahead of mission readiness reviews.
Define requirements for training simulators and other training assets, and work with simulation and ground software teams to build and validate them.
Coordinate with flight software, GNC, power, propulsion, communications, ground systems, and payload engineers to keep training content technically accurate as systems and operational products change.
Train the wider mission team as needed, including integration and test, engineering support, launch services, and payload customers.
Mentor junior training engineers and set standards for lesson quality and evaluation consistency across the training team.
Track training effectiveness and incorporate lessons learned from rehearsals and on-orbit operations into the curriculum.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
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 regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
Up to four weeks of paid time off 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 individual contributions and company results; bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.