Propulsion Module Structures Engineering Lead

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 is part of the New Shepard program. New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket system designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line - the internationally recognized boundary of space. Through operational reusability, New Shepard supports our mission of lowering the cost of access to space.

Join Blue Origin as the Structural Engineering Manager, leading a diverse team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers committed to a culture of safety. This role directly impacts the history of human space exploration by ensuring the detailed attention required for safe and repeatable space flight. Contribute to lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin's vision of millions living and working in space for the benefit of Earth.

Key Responsibilities:

You will lead, mentor, and manage the structural design team responsible for designing the Forward and Aft Modules of the New Shepard Propulsion Module. You must be a doer, 'not my job' is not in your vocabulary. You can identify problems, their root cause, and do not stop until there is a solution in place. As you mentor and grow your team through delegation of responsibilities and challenges proportional to their capabilities and growth potential. You foster a collaborative and inclusive culture while never compromising on accountability for execution.

You will guide the team through system architectural decisions, requirements derivation, and system performance modeling for the 4.3 block upgrade. You will closely coordinate with manufacturing and integration support to ultimately deliver a performant system on time, on budget. Concurrently, you will be the accountable party for assessing flight readiness for fielded 4.2 vehicles, conducting verification audits of components and subsystems, and execute component and subsystem-level testing, planning, execution, data reduction, and analysis. To achieve this, you will plan hiring needs of your team, and subsequently hire the best team to meet the challenge.

You will align your sub-system architecture to a development plan that matches program budgets, ensuring cost-effectiveness. You are accountable for the creation and maintenance of detailed schedules for your team's work, allocation of team resources to the program plan, ensuring timely delivery of milestones. Finally, you clearly provide detailed progress reports to senior leadership, stakeholders, and customers.

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.S. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.

• 5+ years of proven experience in launch vehicle, aviation, or automotive development.

• Demonstrated expertise in sizing and design of pressurized and non-pressurized structures using metallic and composite materials.

• Knowledge of aerospace systems engineering principles and processes, including requirements derivation, configuration and change management, and verification planning and execution.

• Proficiency in structural analysis, including hand calculations and finite element analysis (ANSYS preferred).

• Skilled in design release processes, PDM, and 3D CAD programs (CREO or Pro/E preferred).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for both technical reviews and strategic discussions.

• Ability to earn trust, maintain professional relationships, and contribute to an inclusive culture.

• 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:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.

• 8+ years of proven experience in aerospace development (launch vehicles or aircraft).

• Proficiency in GD&T analysis (ASME Y14.5).

• Experience with test instrumentation and data acquisition.

• Hands-on experience with machining, building, and maintaining pressurized or mechanical systems.

Compensation Range for:

Other site ranges may differ

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

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.

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 atEEOCompliance@blueorigin.com.

California Applicant Privacy Notice

If you are a California resident, please reference the CA Applicant Privacy Notice here.