Systems Engineer, VAST Components

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

32d • $121,023 - $169,432

About The Position

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.
VAST (Valves, Actuators, Standardization, and Technology) delivers the components that make New Glenn work: valves, regulators, quick disconnects, actuators, composite overwrap pressure vessels (COPV’s) and the mechanisms around them. Our products fly on GS1, GS2, and GS3, and serve customers across Lunar Permanence and Engines. As the Systems Engineer on the VAST Technology team, you will be the connective tissue between those vehicle programs and the component teams that serve them. You will own the requirements, interfaces, and verification strategy for VAST's common product lines, turn fleet data into decisions, and build the technical case for where VAST invests next. Your work will directly reduce cost, shorten schedules, and drive commonality across every vehicle Blue flies.
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

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering or related field
• Demonstrated experience developing, decomposing, allocating, and tracing requirements through verification.
• Working knowledge of interface management (ICDs/IRDs), qualification testing, and verification methods (test, analysis, inspection, similarity).
• Ability to set a technical plan and drive it to closure across multiple teams without direct authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present trade studies and recommendations to engineering leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a track record of building trust and fostering professional collaboration.
• Passion for advancing safe human spaceflight and alignment with Blue Origin's mission.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national or U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder)

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in an engineering or technical discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace fluids, propulsion, or component systems engineering.
• Experience on launch vehicle, spacecraft, or rocket engine programs, particularly with reusable hardware and refurbishment cycles.
• Hands-on familiarity with valves, regulators, actuators, quick disconnects, or similar fluid components, including sealing, leakage, and pressure-system behavior.
• Experience interpreting test data to assess system and component performance.
• Experience with cryogenic and high-pressure systems using oxygen, hydrogen, methane, nitrogen, or helium.
• Experience creating common or standard component specifications that serve multiple vehicles or customers.
• Experience with technology roadmapping, technology readiness level (TRL/MRL) assessment, or R&D portfolio planning.
• Experience with structured problem solving (RCCA, 8D, FMEA, fault tree analysis) and nonconformance disposition.
• Proficiency with requirements and PLM tools (e.g., DOORS/DNG, Jama, Cameo, Windchill) and data tools (Python, SQL, Databricks, or similar).
• Experience with thermo-fluid analysis tools such as Thermal Desktop (SINDA/FLUINT) or REFPROP).
• History of introducing a tool or process improvement that was adopted by others and cut manual effort or error rate.

Responsibilities

• Own component-level requirements for VAST common and standard product lines, decomposing and allocating vehicle and stage requirements from GS1, GS2, GS3, Lunar, and Engines customers and tracing them through verification.
• Envelope requirements across multiple customers into common specifications that maximize reuse, and own the trades when one customer's need drives cost or risk for the rest of the fleet.
• Define and manage component interface control documents (ICDs) covering fluid media, pressures, flow, leakage, electrical/actuation, mechanical, and environmental interfaces.
• Own the verification approach and closure for assigned product lines: verification requirements, methods, qualification-by-similarity rationale, and the evidence that requirements are met.
• Mine acceptance, qualification, nonconformance, and flight data across the VAST catalog to find fleet-wide trends - start-of-life vs. end-of-life leakage, recurring failure modes, and cost drivers - and convert them into requirement, design, or process changes.
• Support anomaly investigations, RCCA, and MRB disposition for VAST hardware, with a focus on systemic causes that cut across product families.
• Drive tool and process improvements that remove manual steps from requirements, verification, and data workflows - we would rather build the tool that removes the busywork than staff it.
• Help define VAST's systems engineering standards, templates, and review checklists, and mentor component engineers in requirements and verification practice.

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