Lead Spacecraft Solar Array Engineer

Blue Origin; Los Angeles (CA, WA); On-site; USD 157,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Stock options

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Solar Array Engineer to own the solar array from concept to production release at constellation scale. You will drive requirements, lead design reviews, and coordinate across disciplines, impacting cost, schedule, and yield in a high-rate production environment.

The role demands senior technical leadership, strong documentation, and collaboration with EPS, thermal, structures, harness, and manufacturing teams to ensure end-to-end success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Materials Science, Physics or related field.
• 5+ years direct hands-on solar panel or PV development, 3+ years in space applications.
• Experience designing, specifying, procuring, testing space-grade solar panels and cells.
• Knowledge of space environment effects on solar panels (vacuum, radiation, UV, thermal cycling).

Responsibilities

• Own design and development of space-grade photovoltaic assemblies from concept to flight-qualified hardware.
• Derive requirements, ICDs, and design specs with systems engineering and adjacent subsystems.
• Lead design trade studies for architecture, cell selection, and high-voltage bus compatibility.
• Characterize electrical/optical performance across illumination angles, temperatures, and space environment.
• Lead design reviews and participate in supplier/customer reviews; advocate DFx.
• Define and support test programs including qualification and vehicle-level testing.
• Serve as SME for solar array integration and troubleshoot during integration.
• Communicate status, risks, and challenges to program leadership.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and supply chain for production transition.
• Maintain complete solar array design package within CM system.

Skills

Solar panel dev

Space applications

High voltage systems

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/physics

Tools

Creo

ANSYS

MATLAB/Simulink

STK

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Solar Array Engineer to own the solar array from concept to production release at constellation scale. You will drive requirements, lead design reviews, and coordinate across disciplines, impacting cost, schedule, and yield in a high-rate production environment.

The role demands senior technical leadership, strong documentation, and collaboration with EPS, thermal, structures, harness, and manufacturing teams to ensure end-to-end success.