Principal Systems Engineer — Lunar Human Landing System (HLS)

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life Insurance

Parental leave

Disability insurance

401(k) with match

Education support

Stock options

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin in the United States is seeking a principal systems engineer for the Lunar Permanence program. You will help define the Human Landing System requirements, safety, and verification standards across vehicle areas and serve as the senior technical voice to NASA.

You will drive lean, tool-driven workflows using Jama, Cameo, Windchill, and DOORS, resolve the hardest cross-cutting problems, mentor engineers, and partner with NASA and leadership to advance certification for lunar lander

Qualifications

• B.S. in aerospace, systems, or a related engineering field (advanced degree preferred)
• 10+ years of systems engineering experience with technical authority across requirements, system safety, and V&V
• Ownership across full SE lifecycle — requirements, safety, integration, and V&V
• Track record as a go-to technical expert for a major system or program
• Proven ability to set technical standards and gain adoption across teams
• Customer-facing technical interface experience (NASA or similar)
• Deep fluency with SE tooling (Jama, Cameo, Windchill, DOORS)
• Executive-level communication and mentoring of engineers

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal technical authority for system-level engineering across the team — requirements, system safety, and V&V
• Set standards and methods for requirements breakdown, verification planning, and hazard disposition
• Resolve ambiguous, high-consequence technical problems across cross-cutting interfaces
• Carry system-level technical decisions and represent positions to leadership and NASA
• Define and improve SE processes for the team and gain buy-in across the program
• Interface with NASA on requirements, verification, and safety at senior working level
• Advocate lean, tool-driven workflows and minimize manual hand-offs
• Guide the team in selecting and adopting tools like Jama, Cameo, Windchill, DOORS

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Customer interface

SE tooling

Executive communication

Mentoring

Education

B.S. in aerospace or related engineering

Tools

Jama

Cameo

Windchill

DOORS

Job description

Application Close Date

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

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 the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. To further Blue Origin'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.

As part of a hardworking team of diverse specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will help define Blue Origin's Human Landing System (HLS) — the lander that will carry astronauts to the surface of the Moon and return them safely to Orion. On the System Definition & Certification team you work across requirements, system safety, verification & validation, and certification — the instruments we use to prove the vehicle is safe to fly crew. You will serve as a principal systems engineer and technical authority for the team — setting the requirements, safety, and verification standards that hold across the vehicle, resolving the hardest cross-cutting and inter-element problems, and, for the right person, leading the team's system-level execution and standing as its senior technical voice to NASA. We favor lean, tool-driven workflows over moving data by hand, and we would rather build the tool that removes the busywork than staff it.

The right person believes the job is landing humans safely on the Moon and returning them to Orion — and treats requirements, verification, and system safety as the instruments of that mission, not the point of it. They are comfortable telling a customer *why* a leaner approach still meets intent, and they have the record to make that case land.

Special Mentions

• Relocation provided
• Travel expected up to 25% of the time to support NASA coordination, partner engagement, and cross-site activities
• Interviews will include a technical assessment
• Multiple positions available

Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

• Serve as a principal technical authority for system-level engineering across the team — requirements, system safety, and V&V — spanning multiple vehicle areas and the inter-element seams between them
• Set the technical standards and methods for how requirements are decomposed and allocated, how verification is planned and closed, and how hazards and variances are dispositioned, and earn their adoption across the team and design IPTs
• Resolve the most ambiguous, highest-consequence technical problems, including cross-cutting integration and inter-element issues where no established approach exists
• Carry system-level technical decisions and reviews for the team, and represent the team's technical positions to leadership and the customer
• Define and continuously improve the requirements, safety, and V&V processes for the team — set the standard for how the work gets done — and earn buy-in across the program and NASA so they are adopted in practice, not just published
• Act as a senior working-level technical interface with NASA on requirements, verification, and system safety
• Bring NASA a rationale for why Blue's approach meets their needs and intent, starting from what is right for the lander rather than defaulting to how it has been done before
• Set the direction for lean, tool-driven methods (Jama, Cameo, Windchill, DOORS) that remove manual effort at team scale
• Design workflows that are lean by construction: minimize hand-offs, favor tool-driven workflows over people moving data, and cut steps that do not advance mission assurance

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in aerospace, systems, or a related engineering field (advanced degree preferred); an advanced degree may substitute for a portion of the experience requirement
• 10+ years of systems engineering experience with demonstrated technical authority and/or system-level technical leadership across requirements, system safety, and V&V
• Demonstrated ownership across the full SE lifecycle — requirements, safety, integration, and V&V — with familiarity across multiple functional areas
• Track record as a recognized go-to technical expert for a major system or program — solving problems and setting methods others adopted
• Proven ability to set technical standards and earn their adoption across teams without relying on positional authority
• Demonstrated success as a customer-facing technical interface (NASA or a comparable government/prime customer), negotiating and defending requirements, verification, and safety positions
• Deep fluency with SE tooling (Jama, Cameo, Windchill, DOORS) and the judgment to set tool and method direction that reduces manual effort at scale
• Executive-level communication — able to make a rigorous, risk-based case to both senior leadership and an external customer
• Demonstrated mentoring of engineers to higher performance

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in an engineering or technical discipline
• Direct experience with human-rated spaceflight (NASA HSF, Commercial Crew, Artemis/HLS, or comparable crewed vehicle)
• Prior lead or principal systems engineering role on a vehicle or major element
• Experience from another safety-critical or regulated industry (e.g., medical devices, commercial aviation, nuclear, automotive) as a recognized technical authority on requirements, verification, or safety for a complex product
• History of introducing tools or methods adopted at organizational scale that measurably cut cycle time or error rate
• Breadth across multiple lifecycle phases (design through operations) and familiarity with certification processes

Base Pay Range For

CA applicants is $169,624.00 - $237,473.25 CO applicants is $160,618.00 - $224,864.85 WA applicants is $169,624.00 - $237,473.25

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 Blue Origin, 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 Blue Origin 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

• Benefits include: 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 Affiantive 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.