Senior Estimator - Top Secret/SCI required

Blue Origin; Washington; On-site; USD 124,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced estimator to develop, defend, and present cost estimates for diverse programs including propulsion, launch, and in-space applications. You will collaborate with engineering, program management, and finance while guiding pricing strategies and estimating practices.

Travel to the Seattle area may be required; you will mentor junior staff and help build robust estimating models and data.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years cost estimating or proposal pricing experience in aerospace/defense.
• Experience reading RFPs/SOWs and cost documents.
• Advanced Excel skills with multi-tab models.
• Ability to defend estimates to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines and foster inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver cost estimates for programs spanning propulsion to in-space applications.
• Build, review, and present price volumes compliant with FAR, DFARS, NFS, CAS, and RFP instructions.
• Write Basis of Estimate narratives documenting assumptions and rationale.
• Lead multiple estimating efforts across scope and value.
• Support the proposal lifecycle from release through award.
• Collaborate with capture, engineering, program, supply chain, and finance teams.
• Interpret RFPs and cost documents to create estimating plans.
• Contribute to pricing strategy and risk assessments.
• Mentor less-experienced estimators and drive process improvements.

Skills

Top Secret clearance

Cost estimating

Proposal pricing

RFP/SOW interpretation

Advanced Excel modeling

Analytical communication

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Mentoring others

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, engineering, or related field

Tools

PRICE

SEER

Deltek

SAP

Oracle

Job description

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 Blue Origin corporate functions, providing centralized support across Blue Origin business unit teams, functions, and locations.

Join Blue Origin's proposal pricing team and help shape the cost strategy behind the next generation of spaceflight.

You'll develop, document, and defend cost estimates for programs spanning liquid rocket propulsion, suborbital and orbital launch, lunar landing services, and in-space applications. You'll work directly with engineering, program management, supply chain, finance, and capture leaders to build competitive, compliant proposals for commercial and government customers. Your work will directly influence which opportunities we pursue, how we price them, and how we win the business that funds our vision of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth.

This role suits an experienced estimator who enjoys variety, from a fast-turn commercial quote to a large multi-volume government proposal, and who wants to help build and improve the estimating practices of a fast-growing company.

If working outside of the Kent/Renton office, it will require regular travel to the Seattle area.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and deliver estimates
• Build, review, and present cost estimates and price volumes that comply with internal policies and external requirements (FAR, DFARS, NFS, CAS, and customer-specific RFP instructions)
• Write clear, defensible Basis of Estimate (BOE) narratives that document estimating approaches, assumptions, and rationale
• Develop estimates for Internal Research & Development (IR&D) efforts
• Manage multiple estimating efforts at once, across varying levels of scope definition, complexity, and dollar value
• Support the proposal lifecycle
• Partner with capture, technical, program, supply chain, and finance teams from RFP release through submission, negotiation, and award
• Interpret RFPs, SOWs, and customer cost documents, and translate them into estimating plans and data requests
• Contribute to pricing strategy, should-cost analysis, and risk and opportunity assessments
• Support commercial and government customers across Blue Origin's product lines: liquid rocket propulsion, suborbital launch, orbital launch, lunar landing services, and in-space applications
• Build the function
• Identify and lead improvements to estimating tools, templates, data, and processes
• Help build and maintain estimating models, rate structures, and historical databases
• Mentor and develop less-experienced estimators and pricing analysts

What You Bring:

Required

• Active Top Secret clearance
• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, engineering, or a related field
• 10+ of cost estimating or proposal pricing experience in aerospace, defense, or another complex government contracting environment
• Working knowledge of FAR, DFARS, NFS, CAS, and TINA, and of preparing compliant cost or price volumes
• Experience writing BOEs and developing bottoms-up, parametric, and analogous estimates
• Ability to read and interpret RFPs, SOWs, and cost-related customer documents
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including building and interpreting complex, multi-tab models
• Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain and defend an estimate to technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to build trusted relationships across disciplines and contribute to an inclusive team culture

Preferred

• Experience in aerospace, launch vehicle, spacecraft, or propulsion programs
• Experience with parametric estimating tools (e.g., PRICE, SEER) and pricing or ERP systems (e.g., Deltek, SAP, Oracle)
• Experience building estimating, pricing, or cost management models
• Familiarity with NASA, Space Force, or other national security space procurements
• APMP, ICEAA (CCEA/CEBP), or similar certification
• Experience mentoring others or leading process improvement initiatives

What Makes You a Great Fit:

• You're energized by Blue Origin's mission and by pricing work that supports human spaceflight and lunar exploration
• You like being the bridge between engineering reality and a competitive, compliant price
• You're comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy making incomplete data into a defensible estimate
• You hold yourself to a high standard of quality and accuracy under tight proposal deadlines
• You want to help shape how a growing company estimates and prices its work
• You understand the requirements and dynamics of working classified programs.

Base Pay Range for: CO applicants is $114,455.00 - $160,236.30 WA applicants is $124,476.00 - $174,265.