Aerospace Automated Fiber Placement Programmer

Blue Origin; Merritt Island (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Composite Manufacturing Engineer specializing in Automated Fiber Placement to support development, industrialization, and production of flight-critical composite structures for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft.

This role will develop, qualify, optimize, and sustain AFP processes while collaborating with production technicians, design, quality, and operations leadership. Level may be Engineer I–III based on experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Experience in composite fabrication and automated manufacturing.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, ply definitions, and GD&T.
• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes using data-driven root-cause methods.
• Experience supporting flight-critical aerospace hardware.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, document, and sustain Automated Fiber Placement processes for aerospace composite structures.
• Create and optimize ply books, layup sequences, tow paths, course boundaries, steering strategies, and deposition rates.
• Program, simulate, verify, and release AFP programs using Vericut or offline programming software.
• Troubleshoot AFP equipment, Siemens motion systems, robotic cells, CNC interfaces, PLC logic, HMIs, sensors.
• Establish process parameters and acceptance criteria for laminate quality, dimensional accuracy, repeatability, and throughput.
• Support composite manufacturing processes including hand layup, vacuum bagging, autoclave curing, and related steps.
• Integrate probing and in-process metrology for setup and calibration.
• Lead root-cause investigations using 5 Whys, fishbone, fault-tree, and 8D methods.

Skills

Cross-functional communication

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Hands-on manufacturing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, materials, manufacturing, or related engineering

Tools

Vericut Composite Programming

CATIA

Siemens NX

Fibersim

Creo

Siemens SINUMERIK 840D

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Composite Manufacturing Engineer specializing in Automated Fiber Placement to support development, industrialization, and production of flight-critical composite structures for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft.

This role will develop, qualify, optimize, and sustain AFP processes while collaborating with production technicians, design, quality, and operations leadership. Level may be Engineer I–III based on experience.