Test Engineer III - Vacuum Test Stations

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

11d • $121,023 - $169,432

About The Position

As a member of Blue National Security’s propulsion team, the Test Engineer III will help develop Hall thruster-based propulsion systems and the team’s test capabilities. The role supports propulsion development and production acceptance testing by owning the design and construction of development test stations and collaborating with propulsion team members to execute tests that inform system development. The engineer will design, assemble, and validate test stations and test plans for product development and high-rate production. Relocation is provided, and travel is expected up to 25% of the time.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or a related technical subject area.
• At least 5 years of career experience in propulsion system development, production, and testing.
• Experience working with flight hardware in a production facility or laboratory.
• Working knowledge of electric propulsion principles and test practices, such as ion or Hall-effect propulsion.
• Demonstrated experience creating and commissioning development or production test stations for electric-propulsion vacuum hot-fire tests.
• Experience working safely with compressed gases, high-pressure test systems, vacuum chambers, and high-voltage assemblies.
• Ability to communicate clearly and appropriately at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to build trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to an inclusive culture.
• Strong safety demeanor and experience, including hands-on planning and conduct of hazardous or critical operations.
• Excellent verbal, written, and graphical communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Enthusiasm for mentoring, training, knowledge sharing, and supporting team members’ technical development.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, Systems Engineering, or a related technical subject area.
• Experience developing test-infrastructure drawings and documentation, configuring test articles, and testing propulsion systems or subsystems.
• Functional knowledge of electric-propulsion test equipment such as power supplies, data-acquisition systems, pump systems, leak-detection equipment, motion stages, and DMMs, and test software such as Python, LabVIEW, Grafana, or TestStand.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, industry standards, and technical requirements.
• Experience conducting thermal, vibration, shock, and/or vacuum testing on flight hardware in accordance with MIL-STD-810, SMC-S-016, and MIL-STD-1540.
• Ability to analyze and reduce data and present technical information in a clear, compelling visual format.
• Proven experience developing or establishing new test processes.
• Electric-propulsion production system and/or subsystem testing experience.
• Experience developing a propulsion system from concept to production.
• Experience scaling and optimizing tests and test practices for higher production rates.
• Experience conducting tests and resolving non-conformances in a high-rate production environment.
• Experience performing limited CAD design work to draft test-fixture or tooling needs.
• Excellent computer skills and ability to quickly learn and use various software tools.
• Experience with the AS9100 Quality Management System.
• Experience with analytical and scripting tools such as MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, or C++.
• Experience developing, deploying, maintaining, and version-controlling test scripts or software.
• Experience with requirements development and management tools and product lifecycle management (PLM) tools.

Responsibilities

• Design, procure, assemble, and operate propulsion development test facilities for system- and subsystem-level tests.
• Document test results, conclusions, and recommended paths forward, and lead discussions about them.
• Coordinate with equipment suppliers and Blue Origin facilities on delivery of large, long-lead test equipment, including detailed facility layouts and specialized infrastructure.
• Provide Design for Test input during test-article design reviews with mechanical design and manufacturing teams.
• Author test plans, test procedures, and test software for high-quality and, where appropriate, automated testing.
• Develop scalable practices for test-data aggregation, statistical process control, and data visualization to support high-rate production.
• Conduct test-station design reviews and test-readiness reviews.
• Define test requirements and objectives to characterize system development effectively and cover product requirements.
• Identify, communicate, and mitigate cost, schedule, and technical risks.
• Plan development and production test-capacity scaling to support concurrent high-rate production and continuous product improvement.

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
• Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours
• Up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Possible role- and level-dependent benefits and bonuses; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level