Sr. Principal Spacecraft Design Engineer, Project Sunrise Orbital Data Centers

Blue Origin•Littleton, CO

About The Position

This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE) and supports Blue Origin’s mission to develop infrastructure in space. The team is developing a satellite constellation of orbital data centers. The Senior Principal Spacecraft Design Engineer serves as the primary technical authority and owner for the spacecraft’s end-to-end design. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role requiring autonomy, multidisciplinary leadership, expert systems thinking, and the ability to make critical design decisions and solve complex technical problems while guiding engineers. The engineer leads spacecraft design and development across power, thermal, compute, and communications systems; performs detailed design and modeling in CREO; conducts trade studies and analyses; oversees hardware verification and validation; and collaborates with analysis, manufacturing, electrical engineering, program leadership, and other stakeholders. The position is based on expert mechanical engineering principles and calls for experience designing, analyzing, and testing space mechanisms.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of progressive experience in detailed design and analysis of complex mechanical systems.
Expert proficiency in 3D modeling and detailed design.
Extensive hands-on experience designing, analyzing, and testing space mechanisms.
Strong fundamentals in mechanical engineering, including statics, dynamics, materials, and machine design.
Proven ability to lead technical projects and work independently with minimal supervision.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
Track record of leading flight hardware components or systems through the full product lifecycle.
Hands-on building, assembly, and manufacturing experience.
Experience with Model Based Definition (MBD) and its application in a production environment.
Familiarity or fluency with AI tools and their application to design optimization or analysis.
Understanding of data center designs.
Expertise in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and its application to complex assemblies.
Experience with CREO.
Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools such as ANSYS or NASTRAN for structural analysis.

Responsibilities

Lead and own end-to-end spacecraft design and development, including power, thermal, compute, and communications systems, and identify novel solutions.
Perform hands-on, high-complexity design and modeling work in CREO, creating detailed 3D models, component specifications, and production-level drawings.
Conduct and document trade studies to inform design decisions, optimize system architecture, and ensure compliance with requirements.
Perform and guide structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses to validate design integrity and performance.
Manage engineers while remaining deeply hands-on.
Develop and oversee verification and validation test campaigns for hardware from component through system level.
Collaborate with analysis, manufacturing, electrical engineering, and other cross-functional teams to deliver integrated hardware solutions.
Present design concepts, analysis results, and technical recommendations to program leadership and key stakeholders.

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
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 benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed