Rocket Engine Avionics Architecture, Integration, and Test 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 the Blue Origin Engines business unit, where our focus is the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of engines and propulsion systems. Built for multiple uses, our family of engines is powering the next generation of rockets for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight.

Blue Origin is self-funding rapid development of multiple in-space flight systems – over a range of sizes, propellant types, and technical challenge.

This position resides within the Avionics & Control Products organization, part of the Engine Business Unit. The day-to-day responsibilities of this role will vary widely depending on your specific background and experience.  As an avionics architecture, integration, and test engineer, you will have the opportunity to work across the “systems engineering V” by defining avionics requirements, architectures, and interfaces, decomposing conceptual systems into hardware and software products, designing test equipment, and performing integration, test, qualification, and verification of avionics hardware, software, instrumentation, and harnessing into test facilities and onto rocket engines, both remotely and in-person.

The successful candidate is a systems-thinker and recognized problem solver, eager to autonomously investigate and address a wide range of technical challenges that may present when defining, designing, and testing complex electronics systems.  You have expertise in at least one of: computer engineering, software engineering/computer science, electrical engineering, or systems integration and a good understanding of tangential disciplines such as control theory, mechanical engineering, instrumentation, etc.  You understand that designing effective test solutions is just as important as designing flight hardware. You have an innate ability to identify anomalous behavior, rapidly determine root cause, and implement corrective action interpedently or in close collaboration with stakeholders.  Your understanding of networking and scripting languages enable you to remotely triage systems-under-test across the country.

There is no “standard day” for this role.  We support five rocket engines in varying stages of development.  We design and use test facilities ranging from fully virtual hardware emulations to engines and vehicles themselves.  Every day and every test campaign presents exciting new challenges to be overcome.  You may be called upon to resolve an IP conflict, automate a software build pipeline, plot and infer conclusions from pressure sensor readings in an engine combustion chamber, break apart an avionics system to inspect for damage, design an analog data acquisition system, or rapidly develop a test procedure to validate a new capability, and that’s all before lunch!  Your specific experience and interests will guide where you fit in the organization – candidates interested in any subset of these tasks are encouraged to apply.

Position requires up to 25% travel to rocket engine test sites.

Responsibilities: 

• Define subsystem requirements, architectures, and interfaces
• Decompose conceptual systems into physical and software products
• Design avionics test equipment
• Integrate and test avionics hardware, software, instrumentation, and harnessing into test facilities and onto rocket engines
• Identify anomalous behavior, rapidly determine root cause, and implement corrective action independently or in close collaboration with stakeholders
• Implement scripts and systems to automate the build, deployment, and verification of engine control software
• Validate and verify that engine control systems are meeting customer expectations and requirements
• Triage remotely networked systems

Qualifications:

• Passion for our mission: Millions of people living and working in space!
• Minimum of a B.S. degree in computer engineering, software engineering/computer science, electrical engineering , or similar.
• 2+ years (for level II) or 5+ years (for level III) performing some or all of the following activities: systems engineering, electronics integration, system validation and verification, networking, scripting, test equipment design
• Demonstrated proficiency in Python (or similar)
• Experience