Sr Mechanical Engineer - New Glenn
About The Position
At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! This role supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable. As part of a small, hardworking, passionate and accomplished team of experts, you will be responsible for the end-to-end ownership of production jettison systems for New Glenn's payload fairing. This includes system-level engineering responsibility for pyrotechnic separation systems, ordnance-actuated mechanisms, and associated structural interfaces. You will own the production engineering lifecycle from hardware acceptance through launch operations, including anomaly resolution, certification activities, and continuous improvement of production processes. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable spaceflight. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!
Requirements
- Minimum of a B.S. degree in engineering and 8+ years of experience with aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures, mechanisms, or pyrotechnic systems.
- 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.
- Experience with pyrotechnic or ordnance-actuated separation systems (e.g., linear shaped charges, frangible joints, pin pullers, explosive bolts, or similar energetic devices).
- System-level engineering ownership experience - ability to own a complex mechanical/pyrotechnic system end-to-end from design through production and flight.
- Experience with structural dynamics, FEM interpretation, and loads analysis as applied to separation events.
- Strong understanding of production engineering processes for flight hardware.
- Experience with certification or qualification processes (e.g., NSSL, NASA, FAA, or equivalent regulatory frameworks).
- Experience with anomaly resolution, failure investigation, and root cause analysis on flight or flight-like hardware.
- Mechanical design experience using CAD (Creo/Windchill preferred), hand calculations, and FEA (ANSYS preferred) tools.
- Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance analysis (ASME Y14.5).
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion.
- Collaborative mindset and effective interpersonal skills.
- Strong desire to continuously learn, improve, and drive solutions forward.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with ordnance safety and handling procedures.
- Demonstrated expertise with industry standard analysis codes: Ansys, Nastran, LS-DYNA, Optistruct, Hypermesh.
- Experience with composite structures and laminate analysis.
- Experience interfacing with government certification bodies (e.g., Aerospace Corporation, NSSL, NASA).
- Knowledge of systems engineering practices, fabrication and integration processes, and quality control.
- Experience with production rate environments (high-cadence manufacturing and test).
- Experience working in a cross-functional team responsible for selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and developing the design to produce world-class engineered products.
- Familiar with diagnosing hardware issues and implementing effective repair solutions.
- Setup and safely operate high energy systems (e.g., high-pressure gases, pyrotechnics, and electrical).
Responsibilities
- Serve as the system responsible engineer (SRE) for production jettison and separation systems on a launch vehicle payload fairing.
- Own end-to-end production engineering for pyrotechnic and ordnance-actuated separation mechanisms.
- Lead anomaly resolution and root cause investigations for production hardware nonconformances.
- Drive certification activities and interface with regulatory bodies and customer organizations.
- Develop and maintain system-level documentation including interface control documents, specifications, and acceptance criteria.
- Resolve structural margin and loads issues related to separation system interfaces.
- Provide manufacturing and production support for ordnance-based mechanical systems.
- Coordinate with suppliers on ordnance components, energetic devices, and custom mechanical assemblies.
- Support launch preparation, engineering support requests, and flight readiness activities.
- Work with cross-functional teams responsible for selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers to produce world class aerospace hardware.
- Maintain and report on schedule, budget, and technical status.
- Coach, mentor, and technically assist other engineers.
- Identify opportunities for improvements and operational cost savings.
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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
