Sr. Responsible Engineer, Deployment Mechanism – TeraWave Solar Array

BLUE ORIGIN•Seattle, WA

1d•$145,188 - $203,263

About The Position

This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design. As part of a hardworking team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will own the design, development, and qualification of the TeraWave solar array's deployment mechanism as its Responsible Engineer, balancing tight packaging, mass, and reliability constraints. This is a deployer that unfolds the array's solar power modules on orbit, and you will be the technical authority for its architecture, analysis, and validation strategy, reporting up through the Sr. Manager who owns top-level wing design and delivery. You will define deployment architectures, drive rapid design-build-test cycles to burn down risk, and coordinate interfaces with the solar power module, photovoltaic assembly, and harness teams to ensure the deployer integrates cleanly into the full wing. If you thrive on hands-on problem solving, taking ownership of a complex mechanism end-to-end, and want your work to directly enable humanity's future in space, this is the role for you.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline; 8+ years of experience
Recent experience designing and building mechanical hardware (passive or active mechanisms preferred)
Hands-on prototyping and testing experience
Strong mechanical design, integration, and mechanism analysis skills using 3D modeling (Creo preferred) and simulation tools
Experience with GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and performing tolerance stackup analysis
Knowledge of manufacturing, assembly, integration, and verification/qualification testing
Familiarity with space environments, verification standards, and vacuum environments
Desire and drive to learn new skills and technical tools as the program develops
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

Experience with solar arrays or other large-format deployable spacecraft structures
Experience with large-scale deployable and/or complex moving mechanisms from concept through qualification
Experience with composites
Deep knowledge of aerospace mechanisms design practices and standards such as NASA-STD-5017
Experience with materials/coatings/lubricants/bearing selection for spacecraft
Experience in mechanical finite element analysis for statics and dynamics; experience with multibody dynamics
Knowledge of mechanism avionics interfaces and control logic
Experience with test data acquisition systems and data reduction
Experience with thermal design of spacecraft structures and mechanisms
Prior experience serving as a Responsible Engineer or technical lead for a mechanism or subsystem

Responsibilities

Serve as Responsible Engineer for the TeraWave solar array deployment mechanism, owning its design, analysis, and qualification
Lead the entire design cycle for the deployer, including trade studies, conceptual and detailed design, structural analysis, development testing, and qualification
Define deployment architecture and validation strategy, using analysis, prototyping, and environmental testing to prove performance in the space environment
Hands-on prototyping to quickly push the design forward on fast-moving research and development cycles, including passive actuation, motors, controls, and instrumentation as the design requires
Perform analysis for kinematic, motor/spring/gear sizing, tolerance stacks, and structural performance as the system design requires
Lead and technically guide other engineers designing deployment mechanism sub-components and ancillary hardware (e.g., latches, hinges, dampers, hold-down and release mechanisms), ensuring their designs integrate cleanly with the overall deployer
Own the deployer's interfaces with the solar power module (SPM), photovoltaic assembly (PVA), and harness subsystems; coordinate with subsystem owners to resolve interface conflicts
Drive DFM/DFA and producibility to reduce cost and meet schedule as the deployer matures toward production rate
Generate component drawings, assembly drawings, and interface control documents with application of GD&T per ASME Y14.5
Perform flight hardware testing: TVAC, modal, vibration, and functional deployment testing
Own the deployer-level risk register and DFMEA; drive rapid issue resolution during integration, test, and qualification anomalies
Collaborate in a scrappy, cross-disciplinary R&D environment, working with structural, thermal, electrical, and manufacturing disciplines to deliver a fully integrated mechanism
Coach, mentor, and technically assist junior engineers working on the deployment mechanism