Optical Design/ Coating 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 team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! 

This role is part of Blue National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

Position Summary

Blue Origin is seeking a detail-oriented Optical Design/ Coating Engineer to design, develop, and optimize advanced optics/ coatings supporting our next-generation space vehicles, sensors, and optical payloads. In this role, you will bridge theoretical optical design with hands-on optics and coating manufacturing, delivering high-performance coatings—including anti-reflective (AR), high-reflective (HR), and custom spectral filters—for mission-critical components such as star trackers, LIDAR systems, laser communication terminals, spacecraft windows, and onboard imaging systems.

You'll collaborate closely with R&D, systems engineering, manufacturing technicians, and quality assurance teams to create robust, flight-qualified optical components capable of surviving the extreme thermal, vacuum, and radiation environments of space.

This is a unique opportunity to apply your optical coating expertise to hardware that will fly on orbital and suborbital missions, contributing directly to humanity's expansion beyond Earth.

Key Responsibilities

• Optical Design & Modeling: Design and modeling optics with multi-layer thin-film coating stacks using industry-standard simulation software (e.g., Essential Macleod, FilmStar) to meet stringent spectral, thermal, and space-environment durability requirements for flight hardware.
• Process Development: Develop, scale, and optimize physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes—including electron-beam (e-beam) evaporation, ion-assisted deposition (IAD), and ion beam sputtering (IBS)—in high-vacuum chambers to produce coatings capable of withstanding launch vibration, thermal cycling, and orbital radiation exposure.
• Space-Environment Qualification: Support environmental testing protocols (thermal vacuum, vibration, outgassing per ASTM E595) to ensure coatings meet aerospace-grade reliability and NASA/DoD material outgassing standards.
• Metrology & Characterization: Test and analyze spectral performance using spectrophotometers, ellipsometers, and interferometers to verify transmission, reflection, absorption, and laser damage threshold (LDT) specifications for high-power laser communication systems.
• Troubleshooting & Yield Improvement: Diagnose root causes of coating defects, spectral shift, or adhesion failures using data-driven methods (Statistical Process Control, DOE, Six Sigma) to support high-reliability, low-defect production for flight-critical hardware.
• Production Transfer & Documentation: Transition successful prototypes into full-scale manufacturing, authoring clear standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and training documentation compliant with aerospace quality systems (AS9100).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with systems engineers, mechanical designers, and mission assurance teams to integrate optical components into avionics, sensor suites, and payload systems supporting New Glenn, New Shepard, and Blue Moon programs.
• Supplier & Vendor Coordination: Support supplier qualification and incoming inspection criteria for outsourced coating processes when applicable.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• Experience: 7+ years of hands-on experience in optical design, coatings, and optical metrology (aerospace or defense industry experience strongly preferred).
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency in thin-film design software (FilmStar, Essential Macleod, or similar).
  • Deep understanding of high-vacuum systems, thin-film growth mechanics, and material properties (oxides, fluorides, metals) relevant to space-qualified optics.
  • Experience with optical characterization tools (spectrophotometers, white-light interferometers, ellipsometers).
  • Familiarity with environmental durability testing (humidity, abrasion, thermal shock, adhesion per MIL-C-48497 or similar standards).
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary, fast-paced aerospace manufacturing environment. Excellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional technical collaboration.
• Other: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. Must be able to work onsite in a cleanroom/manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing coatings for space-flight hardware, satellite optics, or high-power laser systems.
• Familiarity with laser damage threshold (LDT) testing for high-energy laser communication or directed energy applications.
• Experience with automated coating platforms and chamber hardware customization.
• Knowledge of AS9100/ISO 9001 quality standards and statistical process control (SPC) implementation.
• Background in radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant optical materials.
• Experience with outgassing testing (ASTM E595) and materials selection for vacuum environments.

Base Pay Range for:

CO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90

Other site ranges may differ

Culture 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 an 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 (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

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.
• 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.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

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 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. 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, sex, 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 “Know Your Rights,” 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]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.