Propulsion Systems Architect — LOX/LNG Engine Lead

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Parental leave

Disability insurance

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Blue Origin Engines is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to own the LOX/LNG booster engine architecture and drive requirements from customer needs to subsystems. You will define interfaces, lead trade studies, and work with test data to optimize performance while maintaining rigorous configuration control.

The role requires hands-on experience with propulsion systems, strong leadership, and the ability to engage across combustion, turbomachinery, and feed systems.

Qualifications

• B.S. or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in propulsion or aerospace system development, with meaningful time spent on liquid rocket engine programs.
• Hands-on experience with requirements development, interface definition, and system-level verification on flight or flight-like hardware.
• Sufficient propulsion fundamentals to engage credibly with subsystem engineers across combustion devices, turbomachinery, and feed systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the engine-level systems architecture, ensuring design decisions made at the subsystem level are coherent, traceable, and optimized for the system as a whole.
• Develop, decompose, and allocate requirements across subsystems, maintaining clear traceability and a credible path to verification for every requirement.
• Define and control all key interfaces between engine subsystems and between the engine and vehicle, resolving conflicts before they become integration problems.
• Lead engine-level trade studies with analytical rigor, driving clear recommendations that advance the program rather than cataloguing options.
• Actively engage with test data, anomaly investigations, and design iterations to identify optimization opportunities and push system performance.
• Identify technical risks early, develop mitigation strategies, and communicate program status with clarity and honesty to leadership and stakeholders.
• Serve as the technical hub across a wide range of stakeholders - subsystem engineers, vehicle teams, test operations, and program leadership.
• Coordinate System Safety analysis across the engine, ensuring complete hazard coverage and no gaps across subsystems.
• Lead and prepare for major program reviews, setting a high bar for technical readiness and ensuring the team is prepared to defend their designs.
• Maintain configuration discipline across drawings, interface control documents, and design documentation so the team always has an accurate picture of the current system.

Skills

Propulsion fundamentals

Requirements development

Interface definition

System-level verification

Leadership in systems engineering

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

B.S. or higher in Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems Engineering

Tools

DOORS

Jama

Confluence

Jira

Job description

Blue Origin Engines is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to own the LOX/LNG booster engine architecture and drive requirements from customer needs to subsystems. You will define interfaces, lead trade studies, and work with test data to optimize performance while maintaining rigorous configuration control.

The role requires hands-on experience with propulsion systems, strong leadership, and the ability to engage across combustion, turbomachinery, and feed systems.