Lead Configuration Engineer – Lunar Vehicles

Blue Origin LLC; Washington; On-site; USD 145,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Stock options

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC is seeking a Senior Configuration Engineer to shape the MK1 Cargo Lander architecture and own the current vehicle’s configuration baseline. You will lead cross-disciplinary trade studies, balance cost, performance, and manufacturability, and drive integration across Structures, Fluids, Thermal, GN&C, Avionics, and Manufacturing.

You will mentor engineers and champion CM best practices. The role requires 10+ years in spacecraft/mechanical design, strong CAD skills

Qualifications

• Demonstrated configuration control experience in aerospace/launch vehicle domains.
• Strong cross-functional influence and consensus-building abilities.
• 3-D CAD and visualization proficiency; ability to critique design solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-disciplinary architecture trades and define long-term MK1 Cargo Lander evolution.
• Develop and maintain a roadmap for MK1 architecture improvements and cost savings.
• Own configuration management for the current MK1 baseline across subsystems.

Skills

Cross-functional influence

3-D CAD

Visualization tools

Education

B.S. in Engineering (Aerospace/Mechanical)

M.S. in Engineering

Tools

PTC Creo

Windchill

Job description

Application Close Date

Application close date: Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

About the Role

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 Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops BlueOrigin’s BlueMoon landers and related products. To further BlueOrigin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, we are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface. We are looking for a Senior Configuration Engineer to help shape the next‑generation architecture of the MK1 Cargo Lander. This role sits at the intersection of deep technical design knowledge and configuration ownership: you’ll drive cross‑disciplinary trade studies that define the long‑term evolution of the vehicle, while also owning the configuration baseline and integration integrity of the current MK1 design. This role spans the full lifecycle of the vehicle’s design: you’ll apply a strong working knowledge of vehicle design, structures, mechanical systems, and/or cryogenic upper stage architecture to lead trades on the next‑gen MK1 — balancing technology improvement, cost reduction, and manufacturing realities against what already exists and flies today. At the same time, you’ll maintain rigorous configuration management discipline over the current vehicle, ensuring that today’s design changes, ECRs, and baselines are coherent, traceable, and feed forward into the long‑term architecture plan rather than undermining it. You’ll operate as a senior technical authority and informal leader across the integrated team — setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and driving consensus across Structures, Fluids, Thermal, GN&C, Avionics, and Manufacturing stakeholders.

What You’ll Do

• Next‑Gen Architecture & Trades: Lead cross‑disciplinary trade studies that define the long‑term evolution of the MK1 Cargo Lander architecture, weighing performance, cost, manufacturability, and schedule
• Develop and maintain a long‑term improvement roadmap for MK1, identifying where next‑gen architecture changes deliver meaningful cost savings, technology upgrades, or manufacturing simplification
• Evaluate how new technologies, materials, or manufacturing methods could be incorporated into the next‑gen design without destabilizing the current flight configuration
• Apply deep knowledge of vehicle design, structures, mechanical systems, and/or cryogenic upper stage design to assess technical feasibility and risk of proposed architecture changes
• Translate high‑level program goals (cost, cadence, performance) into concrete configuration and design trade options for leadership and cross‑functional review
• Partner with manufacturing, production engineering, and supply chain to ensure next‑gen architecture decisions reflect real‑world fabrication, assembly, and tooling constraints
• Ownership & Integration: Own configuration management for the current MK1 vehicle baseline across structural, mechanical, fluids, and electrical subsystems, ensuring a coherent, traceable vehicle‑level design
• Lead technical review and disposition of Engineering Change Requests (ECRs) within your scope, ensuring completeness, technical accuracy, and configuration integrity
• Define and maintain interface configurations between subsystems, including model‑based definitions and control documents
• Resolve cross‑subsystem configuration conflicts and dependencies, driving decisions when stakeholders disagree
• Ensure configuration baselines and documentation are ready to support major design reviews, integration milestones, and downstream material requirements planning
• Track and report configuration and architecture trade status, including schedule, risk, and key technical issues, to program and engineering leadership
• Technical Leadership: Serve as a go‑to technical authority for MK1 configuration and architecture questions across the engineering organization
• Provide informal technical leadership and mentorship to engineers working configuration, integration, and design trade activities
• Champion configuration management best practices and standards across the team, even where you don’t hold formal IPT authority
• Build alignment across Structures, Fluids, Thermal, GN&C, Avionics, and Manufacturing stakeholders on configuration decisions and trade outcomes

What We’re Looking For

• Required: B.S. degree in engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, or related discipline) and 10+ years of experience in spacecraft or launch vehicle mechanical design, configuration, and layout engineering; or M.S. with 8+ years
• Deep working knowledge in at least one of: vehicle structural design, mechanical systems design, or cryogenic upper stage design, with working familiarity across the others
• Demonstrated experience leading architecture‑level or vehicle‑level trade studies, from early concept through down‑selection
• Demonstrated configuration control experience on developed products in aerospace, launch vehicle, or comparable highly‑regulated industries — from early trades through final design, manufacturing, and test
• Strong track record of cross‑functional influence and consensus‑building, driving technical decisions through credibility and judgment
• Strong 3‑D CAD and visualization tool experience, with the ability to assess and critique design solutions directly, not just review summaries
• Understanding of how manufacturing, assembly, and integration realities should shape design and configuration decisions
• Demonstrated ability to balance long‑term architecture vision, near‑term configuration discipline, and business or market needs on the same program

• Preferred: Experience specifically with cryogenic propulsion or upper stage systems
• Strong GD&T skills and experience with large tolerance stack‑up analysis
• Experience using PTC Creo and Windchill
• Experience driving cost‑reduction or producibility‑improvement initiatives on a flying or near‑flying vehicle program
• Demonstrated ability to balance long‑term architecture vision, near‑term configuration discipline, and business or market needs on the same program
• Knowledge of aerospace vehicle fabrication and assembly techniques and related quality control concepts

Base Pay Range for: WA applicants is $145,188.00 - $203,263.20. 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 BlueOrigin, 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 BlueOrigin 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

• 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 affirmative action plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.

Why we’re Building The Future

We’re committed to building the road to space so our children can build the future. We are a mission‑driven company focused on ideas and innovation, and encourage fresh perspectives from bold voices. At Blue, our team is building the future as their unique selves. Thank you for your interest in working at Blue Origin!

Blue Origin was founded with a vision to enable a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth. In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes in the need to enable humanity to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space. Blue Origin believes it has an important role in building a road to space and lowering the cost of getting there. At Blue Origin, we’re working on this today by developing fully reusable launch vehicles and systems that are safe, reliable and affordable. Every launch vehicle is designed for human spaceflight from the beginning and able to ferry payloads to space.

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