Structural Engineer III

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 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.

This role is a part of the Lunar Customer Programs team for the New Glenn Advanced Customer Programs. As part of the New Glenn business unit, this team develops unique solutions for New Glenn’s government, Lunar, Orbital Reef, and crewed spacecraft customers among others.

As part of a small, hardworking team of experts, you will be responsible for the development of unique structural design solutions supporting New Glenn’s ambitious customer base. This position will directly further Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface and LEO destinations. In this role, you will own hardware through the full life cycle from design, analysis, manufacturing, and test.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, inventiveness, and dedication to safety and quality to build the road to space. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Design, analysis, development, and testing of primary and secondary structures, including composites and metallic piece parts, as well as integrated structural assemblies
• Execute research, configuration development, and trade studies to meet performance, schedule, and cost targets
• Create CAD models, detail part drawings, assemblies, installations, and interface control documents
• Apply practical approaches to hardware fabrication and cost impacts
• Create test plans, specifications, and other documentation for the development and production of flight hardware
• Subsystem test planning, execution, data reduction and analysis, and test data review
• Review technical work of team members (drawings, analyses, test plans) to identify design improvements and ensure quality standards before release
• Balance customer solutions with documented, repeatable processes
• Proactively engage with manufacturing and have regular floor presence during critical build phases
• Identify design or manufacturing issues immediately and lead root cause analyses for moderate-scope NCs
• Maintain visual project status indicators (activity schedule, budget and technical status) for team transparency
• Work with multi-functional teams that are responsible for selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers to produce world-class aerospace hardware
• Respond to customer-driven schedules
• Manage multiple concurrent projects with attention to team capacity and sustainable pace
• Develop junior engineers into future technical leads through progressive delegation

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering or equivalent technical field
• 5+ years related experience in structural design and analysis of automotive, aircraft, spacecraft, or launch vehicle structures
• Strong mechanical design and integration skills using 3D CAD software (Creo, CATIA V5, SolidWorks, AutoDesk or other industry standard software).
• Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance analysis (ASME Y14.5) proficiency
• Structural design of metallic components and assemblies
• Vehicle load path distribution, and first order strength assessment and sizing
• Material selection, compatibility and manufacturing techniques
• Demonstrated ability to conduct structural analysis using hand-calculation and finite element techniques, using any industry standard software: Ansys, Nastran, Optistruct, LS Dyna, Hypermesh, Hypersizer
• Strong presentation, documentation and communications skills, with the ability to present the solution and build consensus among customers and New Glenn stakeholders
• Passion for building flight hardware and creativity for inventing new technology.
• 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. degree in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering or equivalent technical field
• Ability to iterate structural designs quickly while mission architecture and customer requirements are in flux, making sound engineering judgments with incomplete data
• Experience documenting and standardizing design processes, creating reusable templates and analysis workflows.
• Experience on launch vehicles, aircraft, or similar in one or more of the following areas:
  • Design of minimal-mass structure
  • Design of composite structures and structural adhesive bonds
  • Design of cryogenic structures or propellant tanks.
  • Design of baffles, anti-vortex devices, and other propellant management devices.
  • Design of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) such as spray on foam insulation (SOFI) or multi-layer insulation (MLI)
• Experience with full product lifecycle of design, test, and production.
• Knowledge of design and fabrication considerations for composite structures.
• Experience with Creo (Pro/E) Wildfire 5 or greater, Windchill 10.
• Experience with Optimization and DOE methods as applied to design, analysis, and testing

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $121,023.00 - $169,432.20 WA applicants is $121,023.00 - $169,432.20

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 Aff…