Sr Controls Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN•Van Horn, TX

3d•$197,529 - $276,540•Onsite

About The Position

This senior technical contributor role supports the Controls team within Blue Origin’s Engines business unit, which designs, develops, manufactures, and tests engines and propulsion systems. The team develops the complete digital and physical control architecture for next-generation hardware, including supervisory software, real-time PLC automation, instrumentation, and electrical distribution. The engineer designs, develops, and validates control systems and algorithms for critical test infrastructure, translating requirements into robust, production-ready control architectures. The role includes hands-on work with real-time systems, controls algorithms, and design validation, as well as support for commissioning, test execution, troubleshooting, and operational ramp-up. The position is based at the West Texas Site in Van Horn, Texas, with a regular 5/2 schedule or rotation schedules of 8/6 or 16/12 available. Relocation is provided. Eligible employees who permanently relocate to Van Horn or travel there from another Blue Origin location at least 50% of the time may receive additional financial incentives, including a living allowance and relocation assistance.

Requirements

Passion for Blue Origin’s mission.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
10+ years of hands-on experience designing and implementing real-time control systems for complex hardware, such as propulsion systems, test facilities, industrial automation, or similar mission-critical environments.
Deep proficiency in PLC programming, including ladder logic and structured text, across at least two major platforms such as Siemens TIA Portal and Rockwell Studio 5000.
Demonstrated ability to develop production-ready, safety-critical logic from requirements.
Hands-on commissioning experience for complex test facilities, including troubleshooting and optimizing controls during facility activation and operational ramp-up.
Strong understanding of real-time systems architecture, including deterministic execution, interrupt handling, communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet/IP, Modbus, and OPC, and fail-safe design patterns.
Understanding of instrumentation and electrical systems, including sensor selection, signal conditioning, electrical distribution, grounding, EMI/RFI mitigation, and power system design.
Experience integrating controls into multidisciplinary mechanical, thermal, and electrical systems, with the ability to resolve cross-functional technical trade-offs.
Familiarity with systems engineering concepts, including functional architecture, requirements traceability, interface control, and configuration management.
Excellent technical communication skills, including documenting designs, presenting to cross-functional teams, and interfacing with test operations and program leadership.
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

Master’s degree in Controls Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline; PMP or INCOSE certification.
Experience with advanced controls concepts such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), adaptive controls, state estimation, or Kalman filtering applied to real hardware systems.
Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds.
Hands-on experience with Matlab/Simulink, Labview, or equivalent controls modeling and simulation tools, and ability to develop and execute MIL/SIL/HIL test strategies for control algorithm validation.
Experience with ECAD tools such as AutoCAD Electrical or ePlan for electrical architecture design and documentation.
Proficiency with industrial SCADA/supervisory software such as WinCC, Ignition, or FactoryTalk.
Experience with Git version control, CI/CD pipelines, and modern software development practices in embedded systems environments.
Prior mentoring or technical leadership experience guiding junior engineers in controls design and implementation.

Responsibilities

Develop supervisory software, real-time PLC logic, and embedded control algorithms for test facilities, test stands, and next-generation hardware; define control strategies, sensor requirements, and feedback loops.
Provide technical support during facility commissioning and test execution, troubleshoot issues, optimize control algorithms using test data and operational feedback, and support the transition of prototype controls into production-ready configurations.
Design, code, and integrate PLC logic across Siemens and Rockwell platforms, including deterministic, fail-safe control sequences for complex multi-system operations.
Specify, design, and validate instrumentation strategies, including sensors, transmitters, and signal conditioning.
Design electrical distribution and panel layouts, integrate sensors and actuators into real-time control loops, and ensure compliance with electrical standards.
Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, fluids, and test operations teams to integrate controls into complete system architectures.
Participate in design reviews, testing, and troubleshooting to ensure controls meet functional, safety, and performance requirements.
Conduct code reviews, implement unit testing, and maintain configuration management across development, test, and operational phases.
Ensure designs comply with applicable controls standards and support safety case development and certification activities.
Create design documentation, functional specifications, software design documents, and operational procedures.
Mentor junior engineers and support team knowledge transfer.

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 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.
Eligible employees may receive a living allowance and relocation assistance for Van Horn, subject to the stated eligibility conditions.
Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on company policy and discretion; bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed.