Solar Panel Responsible Engineer - Lunar Permanence

BLUE ORIGIN • West Melbourne, FL

3d • $144,179 - $219,522

About The Position

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. To further Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, we are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface. As the Responsible Engineer, you will drive the development of Solar Panels for Blue Origin’s spacecraft in a key technical leadership role. You will participate in the full product life cycle from early concepts to prototypes to qualified and deployed flight hardware. You will work closely with the Power Generation & Energy Storage team and adjacent core component and vehicle teams to seamlessly integrate Solar Panels with multiple vehicle subsystems. Your leadership and technical contributions will enable flight of state-of-the-art aerospace vehicles and missions.

Requirements

• B.S. in Mechanical, Electrical, Material Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering or related areas of study
• 5+ years of direct experience in solar panel development (or similarly constructed products); 3+ year in space applications desired
• Experience across the full product development lifecycle, including concept definition, architecture, requirements capture and development, implementation, verification, system integration, qualification, and release
• Demonstrated experience designing, specifying, procuring, and testing of space grade panels and adhesives
• Familiarity with photovoltaic cells, design/construction of solar panels, and associated test methods (such as AIAA S-112)
• Knowledge of space environment effects on solar panels, such as vacuum, radiation, UV, temperature cycling
• Desire to work hands-on, both independently and as part of a team, throughout the development and production phases
• Self-starting who thrives in a fast-paced new product development environment
• Ability to earn trust and maintain positive and professional relationships
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• 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

• Advanced graduate degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Material Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering or related areas of study
• 8+ years of direct experience in solar panel development (or similarly constructed products); 5+ year in space applications desired
• Demonstrated experience with solar panel standards such as AIAA S-112
• Subject matter expertise (SME) to drive solar array architecture trade studies, performance characterization, and component selection
• Proficiency with common engineering design and simulation software (e.g. CREO, ANSYS, MATLAB, Simscape, STK)

Responsibilities

• Deliver space-qualified solar panel and backing structure flight hardware
• Serve as technical lead, responsible for planning and coordinating the efforts of cross-discipline engineers (mechanical, electrical, systems, M&P)
• Drive new product development from requirements definition through production readiness for modular and scalable products
• Lead internal design reviews and participate in reviews with suppliers and customers; support design for test/manufacture/cost (DFx)
• Effectively communicate development status, risks, and challenges to management
• Analyze, track, and report key performance metrics contextualized against vehicle requirements
• Support the development and execution of component-level test programs, including characterization, risk reduction, qualification, and integrated vehicle-level testing
• Routinely collaborate with manufacturing operations, supply chain, and other teams within the company to ensure smooth execution

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior