Deployable Aerobrake and Vehicle Director

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!  

We are a diverse team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to our culture of safe innovation. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment, dedication, 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 is part of our Advanced Concepts organization developing innovative new space products and applications.

As part of a hardworking team of diverse spacecraft development engineers, you will lead our team developing a deployable aerobrake and the associated underlying technologies and first use vehicle. These products will enable reusable space transportation and radically reduce the cost of access to space and open up new mission opportunities.

You will germinate and develop the team while applying the concepts of aerobraking utilizing the latest thermal protection and guidance technologies. This will include defining the vehicle architecture as well as the associated simulations, modelling, deployable systems, and avionics hardware and software. Your contributions will directly contribute to infrastructure vital for long-range human and robotic spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities:

• Lead the deployable aerobrake system and first use vehicle development.

• Lead development of requirements from system level specifications with flow ups and flow downs to system, subsystem, and component levels

• Perform and guide analyses to validate specifications and requirements, and to determine performance

• Lead a cross-functional technical team to mature technologies, innovate to reach breakthroughs, and accomplish specific objectives for major infusion into key development programs

• Technical oversight and authority of a range of hardware and software solutions

• Prepare and manage design/technology reviews

• Support systems analysis with a cross-functional mindset to support system level architectural decisions

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience focused on development of systems for complex processes and/or aerospace autonomy/GNC

• Experience in development, implementation, and testing of novel systems on aerospace vehicles

• Experience in test, verification and validation of complex algorithms, simulations, and software

• Demonstrated experience leading and managing lean teams on fast-paced projects

• Demonstrated experience in avionics hardware and software from initial architecture to deployed systems

• Leadership and management experience as well as a history of mentoring

• Highly organized and capable of planning and guiding complex technical work

• Demonstrated ability to perform both theoretical (e.g., modeling, simulation, analysis, design) and applied (implementation, testing, and validation) development of sophisticated algorithms and data processing techniques

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• 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

Desired:

• Ph.D. in aerospace, electrical, or mechanical engineering or related technical field

• Strong MATLAB/Simulink/Simscape/Stateflow expertise

• Experience in full lifecycle development of spacecraft

• Experience across multiple portions of the product life cycle (concept definition through operations and use)

• Specific experience leading research and development projects

• Familiarity with autonomous systems, business intelligence, or generative design

• Solid system engineering and configuration management skills

Inclusivity Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to j