Senior Ground Navigation Lead - Lunar Missions

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 183,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Education Support Program

Stock options

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a Principal Ground Navigation Engineer to lead and mentor a team focused on trajectory analysis, orbit determination, and radiometric navigation for lunar missions. The role interfaces with GNC, systems engineering, and flight operations to ensure robust navigation solutions and mission success.

The candidate will architect next‑generation flight dynamics software, coordinate with tracking providers, and provide real‑time navigation support during critical mission phases.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical or related field.
• 12+ years in trajectory analysis, flight dynamics or ground navigation.
• Strong track record in orbit determination algorithms.
• Deep expertise in radiometric navigation (Doppler and ranging).
• Solid fundamentals in astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, and estimation theory.
• Experience with full ground navigation lifecycle from concept to flight support.
• Experience coordinating with Deep Space Network.

Responsibilities

• Guide ground navigation trades using statistics of orbit determination.
• Collaborate with GNC, systems engineering, and flight ops for end-to-end validation.
• Represent Blue Origin to external partners and customers.
• Develop flight dynamics software architectures to meet mission needs.
• Contribute to live ground navigation operations for crewed and uncrewed missions.
• Review navigation designs across business units as a technical reviewer.
• Mentor navigation engineers and establish best practices for algorithm development.

Skills

Trajectory analysis

Flight dynamics

Ground navigation

Orbit determination

Radiometric navigation

Astrodynamics

Verbal & written communication

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

B.S. in Electrical Engineering

M.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace (preferred)

Tools

Julia

Python

C++

Rust

MATLAB

Jira

Git

Jenkins

Docker

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a Principal Ground Navigation Engineer to lead and mentor a team focused on trajectory analysis, orbit determination, and radiometric navigation for lunar missions. The role interfaces with GNC, systems engineering, and flight operations to ensure robust navigation solutions and mission success.

The candidate will architect next‑generation flight dynamics software, coordinate with tracking providers, and provide real‑time navigation support during critical mission phases.