Mechanical Engineer III – Solar GSE

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 Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design.

As part of a hardworking team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will own the mechanical ground support equipment that makes Blue Origin's next-generation solar array programs possible. The Solar Center of Excellence is building world-class capabilities in solar array development—from materials and processes through assembly, test, and qualification—and the MGSE you design will be on the critical path every step of the way. If you thrive on hands-on problem solving, take pride in precision craftsmanship, and want your work to directly enable humanity's future in space, this is the team for you.

Special Mentions:

• Relocation provided
• Travel expected up to 20% of the time
• Interviews will include a technical assessment

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Design, analyze, fabricate, and verify the full suite of mechanical ground support equipment for large-format solar array wings—from prototype assembly through engineering build and into qualification test
• Own the complete GSE lifecycle for each item: concept trade, detailed design, procurement or in-house fabrication, assembly, acceptance test, and handoff to production with supporting documentation in Windchill
• Design and develop breakover and repositioning fixtures that allow solar wings to be rotated and handled during ground integration, ensuring load paths do not damage fragile photovoltaic assemblies or their substrates
• Translate mechanical ICD constraints from array and spacecraft bus interfaces into tooling geometry that can be operated safely in cleanroom and high-bay environments
• Design and release a broad family of wing assembly fixtures: integration stands for frame build-up during panel installation, alignment fixtures enforcing critical hole-to-hole pitch across structural members, harness routing guides, connector support brackets, and panel-level handling aids that allow technicians to maneuver individual solar panels without point-loading delicate optical surfaces or flexing laminated structures beyond tolerance
• Apply strong DFM intuition; write clear manufacturing specifications and work with in-house machinists and outside vendors to close on fabrication
• Lead design and analysis of gravity off-load systems, including dynamic load analysis, cable or counterbalance system design, and deployment simulation to accurately compensate for the distributed weight of solar array assemblies throughout the full kinematic range of motion
• Validate offload accuracy through a combination of rigid-body kinematic analysis and instrumented checkout, selecting from constant-force springs, air bearings, overhead cable systems, or hybrid approaches as the design requires
• Support miscellaneous MGSE needs as programs mature: TVAC test fixture design, transportation and shipping containers for fragile panel assemblies, vibration test interface plates, and deployment restraint fixtures for pre-launch handling
• Generate component drawings, assembly drawings, and interface control documents with application of GD&T per ASME Y14.5; perform tolerance stackup analysis to verify interface compatibility with flight hardware
• Perform structural analysis sufficient to size load-bearing members, select appropriate fastener schemes, and verify interface compatibility with flight hardware
• Collaborate in a scrappy cross-disciplinary R&D environment with manufacturing engineers, mechanisms designers, test engineers, and technicians to ensure GSE is integrated, safe, and ready when the program needs it
• Coach, mentor, and technically assist junior engineers on the GSE team

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of relevant experience in mechanical design, with demonstrated focus on tooling, fixtures, GSE, or ground handling equipment
• Experience designing and building m