Senior Structural Engineer

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

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 diverse 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.

We are a diverse team of collaborators, doers, and problem- solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.  

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 a member of a dedicated, skilled team of experts, you will be in charge of designing, manufacturing, and installing the structural hardware for New Glenn. Collaborating with analysts, materials engineers, procurement specialists, and manufacturing teams, you will aim to deliver a highly optimized structural assembly for vehicle integration. 

This role will specifically support our FWD module engineering team, ensuring seamless assembly and integration of the rocket stages to meet our rigorous performance and safety standards. 

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required! 

Responsibilities:

• Primary responsibility: Full design engineering ownership of metallic structural components. 
• Lead engineering scope to close including planning, detailed design, engineering release, procurement, and test.
• Provide general build support Engineering through the disposition of non-conformances, identification of process improvements, and updates to engineering definition. 
• Identify, develop and implement opportunities for New Glenn upgrades and improvements. 
• Create and modify CAD drawings, specifications, and other documentation.
• Support procurement activities to support vehicle build schedules.
• Support integrated test objectives, data review, and reporting.
• Perform or facilitate emergent analysis for non-conformances.
• Participate in subsystem level testing including planning, execution, data reduction and analysis.
• Work with multi-functional teams across multiple work sites that include design, analysis, materials, processes, structures, fluids, systems, procurement, and manufacturing. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.S. degree or higher in mechanical, structural, or other relevant engineering field.
• 5-10+ years in professional engineering experience with automotive, aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures.
• Strong fundamentals in mechanics of materials, stress/strain, statics, and finite element analysis.
• Experience on recently developed vehicles in one or more of the following areas: vehicle load path distribution and first order strength assessment and sizing. 
• Experience with large primary or secondary structures.
• Experience with material selection, compatibility, and metallic manufacturing techniques & product forms (e.g. sheet metal, machining, etc).
• Familiarity with tolerance, GD&T and design for manufacturability.
• Strong mechanical design and integration skills using 3D CAD software.
• Hands on experience with hardware “on the production floor” and/or “in service”
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion 
• 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to work independently driving engineering from conceptual to released engineering and flight hardware.
• Experience designing for manufacturability and value engineering, with focus on cost reduction and build time hour optimization.
• Product data management (PDM) skills (e.g. Windchill, TeamCenter, etc).
• Experience with FEA analysis codes: Nastran, ANSYS, Optistruct, LS/Dyna.
• Familiarity with buckling, fatigue and/or fracture failure modes
• Experience in risk management and consolidation of technical data for presentation to senior leadership.

Inclusivity Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check

• Required for Certain Job Profiles:  Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation

• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification, Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing (CDL drivers only), vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.

Benefits

• Benefits include:  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.

• Paid Time Off:  Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

• Discretionary bonus: Bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results.

• Eligibility for benefits varies by role type, please check with your recruiter for a comprehensive list of the benefits available for this role.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [email protected].

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