Materials and Process Engineer II - Friction Stir Welding

Blue Origin; Merritt Island (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Materials and Process Engineer II to advance friction stir welding for the New Glenn program. You will develop, optimize, and characterize FSW processes in aluminum structures, support design for production, and lead material testing and quality control activities.

You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to select materials, processes, and suppliers, write test plans, and evaluate data to generate design values. U.S. citizenship required.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree or higher in materials engineering, welding engineering, mechanical engineering or related field.
• 2+ years metallurgy experience in aerospace materials, aluminum alloys preferred.
• 2+ years defining and qualifying welding processes (fusion and/or solid state).
• Experience planning material characterization (mechanical and environmental testing, material compatibility).
• U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the U.S.

Responsibilities

• Support production welding of full scale, cryogenic tanks. Lead or contribute to development/optimization of FSW processes to meet specification requirements. Troubleshoot weld tool equipment as required.
• Work closely with tank production teams to ensure that floor support is provided in a timely manner and weld qualification deliverables are met in accordance with the overall launch schedule
• Contribute to weld process/qualification documentation, internal/external readiness reviews, etc.
• Oversee metallographic and mechanical testing of welds and weld samples, and evaluation of materials characterization data or NDT results
• Evaluate weld defects and recommend improvement plans or repair procedures
• Work hand in hand with quality assurance/engineering for rapid disposition and documentation of non-conformances for tank structure defects
• Travel as needed for reviews, training, and other tank production support activities
• Work with cross-functional teams that are responsible for selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers to produce world class aerospace hardware
• Define and write material test plans for design value generation, execute sourcing of testing, and evaluate test data to develop statistics-based design values

Skills

Friction Stir Welding

Metallurgy

Mechanical testing

DOE principles

Education

B.S. in materials/related field

Job description

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 supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

Job Profile: Materials and Process Engineer II - Friction Stir Welding

We are a diverse team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin's vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.

As part of a hardworking team of diverse engineers you will be responsible for materials and process engineering tasks related to the design and manufacturing of the New Glenn launch vehicle system. Primary day-to-day focus will be developing, optimizing, and characterizing friction stir welding (FSW) process in aluminum structures. These tasks include material characterization, supporting design for production, material selection, and quality control.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities

• Support production welding of full scale, cryogenic tanks. Lead or contribute to development/optimization of FSW processes to meet specification requirements. Troubleshoot weld tool equipment as required.
• Work closely with tank production teams to ensure that floor support is provided in a timely manner and weld qualification deliverables are met in accordance with the overall launch schedule
• Contribute to weld process/qualification documentation, internal/external readiness reviews, etc.
• Oversee metallographic and mechanical testing of welds and weld samples, and evaluation of materials characterization data or NDT results
• Evaluate weld defects and recommend improvement plans or repair procedures
• Work hand in hand with quality assurance/engineering for rapid disposition and documentation of non-conformances for tank structure defects
• Travel as needed for reviews, training, and other tank production support activities
• Work with cross-functional teams that are responsible for selecting materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers to produce world class aerospace hardware
• Define and write material test plans for design value generation, execute sourcing of testing, and evaluate test data to develop statistics-based design values

Qualifications

• B.S. degree or higher in materials engineering, welding engineering, mechanical engineering or related field
• 2+ years of experience (or with relevant M.S.) in the field of metallurgy, with deep knowledge of the interplay between composition, process, microstructure & properties in aerospace materials (preferably in Aluminium alloys)
• 2+ years of experience with definition & qualification of welding processes (fusion and/or solid state)
• Experience developing and executing plans for material characterization, such as mechanical testing, environmental testing, and material compatibility analysis
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Desired

• Familiarity in friction stir welding of aluminum and/or aluminum-lithium alloys for aerospace applications is a huge plus!