Senior Mission Operations Engineer – Blue Ring

Blue Origin; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 144,000 - 202,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

401(k) with company match

Education assistance

Stock options

Paid time off

Company-paid holidays

Job summary

Blue Origin in the United States is seeking a Senior Mission Operations Engineer to lead the preparation and execution of on-orbit operations, develop concepts of operations, build operations products, and accelerate automation and AI/ML for real-time spacecraft control.

You will manage small teams across the program lifecycle, collaborate with space and ground engineers, ensure quality, and mentor early-career engineers while supporting mission readiness, rehearsals, and post-launch testing

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Computer Science, Systems, or related fields.
• 3+ years of experience managing technical teams.
• 10+ years of proven experience in spacecraft operations development and execution, incl. on-orbit ops in leadership roles.
• Experience with development of spacecraft operations products, including procedures, telemetry displays, scripts, and other technical documents.
• Experience with configuration and product data management.
• Excellent verbal and written communications, including presentations to external customers at milestone reviews.
• Ability to earn trust and collaborate across diverse backgrounds to achieve mission success.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission plans, operations concepts, tools, and processes for real-time spacecraft and ground system operation.
• Lead teams in creating detailed operations procedures, executables, telemetry displays, and technical docs.
• Ensure deliverables meet quality standards and promote reuse and backward compatibility.
• Conduct testing/validation of ops products across hardware/software environments.
• Drive efficiency via automation and AI/ML technologies.
• Support spacecraft concept of operations with end-user operability.
• Provide progress tracking and basis-of-estimates for new business pursuits.
• Create end-to-end test procedures for system capabilities.
• Analyze ground station selection for optimal communications.
• Coordinate staffing for mission operations events and training for on-console staff.

Skills

Team leadership

Spacecraft operations

Customer communications

Systems thinking

Education

B.S. in Aerospace/CS/Systems

Tools

Python

SPELL

STOL

JAS

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!

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on addressing two of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit.

As a Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you will lead the preparation and execution of on-orbit Blue Ring operations—developing ConOps, building operations products, streamlining workflows through strategic use of automation and AI/ML technologies, forming and leading on-console crews, and executing early mission operations on orbit.

You will lead small teams of mission operations engineers across the program lifecycle while collaborating extensively with engineers from both the space and ground segments. Your technical leadership will directly enable Blue Origin to field and efficiently operate game-changing new capabilities in space for a range of customers.

The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with a strong operator and customer focus, combined with the persistence and passion to build space operations capabilities from the ground up. Join us in enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit earth - passion for our mission is required!

Responsibilities

• Develop mission plans, operations concepts, tools, and processes that enable highly effective and labor-efficient real-time spacecraft and ground system operation.
• Lead small teams in the development and implementation of detailed operations procedures, executables, telemetry displays, technical documentation, and other products.
• Ensure deliverables meet applicable quality standards, while promoting maximum reuse and backward compatibility.
• Conduct testing and validation of ops products using a variety of hardware and software simulation environments that span the space and ground domains.
• Drive operations toward ever-increasing levels of efficiency and reliability through automation and the application of AI/ML technologies.
• Support systems engineering and other disciplines in developing a spacecraft concept of operations, ensuring efficiency and operability for the end-user.
• Implement meaningful progress tracking to provide realistic completion forecasts and inform basis-of-estimates provided for new business pursuits.
• Create detailed test procedures to validate end-to-end system capabilities.
• Analyze and assess ground station selection for optimal communications availability.
• Coordinate staffing for mission operations events and work with our training team to ensure certification of on-console personnel.
• Support mission readiness activities including mission rehearsals, mission timeline development, and post-launch test development.
• Provide real-time leadership during spacecraft launch and early orbit phase, including shift work, from Blue Origin’s mission control facilities in Florida and elsewhere.
• Monitor spacecraft state-of-health across all subsystems, perform trending and analyses, and track spacecraft and ground system configurations.
• Support the troubleshooting and resolution of on-orbit anomalies as part of an anomaly response team.
• Foster continuous improvement by contributing, tracking, and implementing lessons-learned for the benefit of future missions.
• Provide instruction and mentorship to early career engineers, building depth of expertise and capability within the mission operations engineering team.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Aerospace, Computer Science, Systems, or related fields
• 3+ years of experience managing technical teams.
• 10+ years of proven experience in spacecraft operations development and execution, including real-time support for on-orbit operations in a flight director or comparable leadership role.
• Experience with development of spacecraft operations products, including procedures, telemetry displays, scripts, and other technical documents.
• Experience with configuration and product data management.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including ability to make persuasive presentations to external customers at gated milestone reviews.
• Ability to earn trust, build positive professional relationships, and collaborate with individuals of various backgrounds to achieve mission success.

Desired

• Active TS/SCI Security Clearance
• M.S. in Space Systems, Computer Science, or Aerospace Engineering,
• Direct support for a government spacecraft operations organization, as well as a deep understanding of their use cases and approach to operations.
• Experience with multi-manifest spacecraft missions and developing operations for hosted or separable payloads.
• Proficiency with command-and-control scripting languages, such as Python, SPELL, STOL, or JAS
• Experience working with virtualized Ground Software (e.g., Command & Control, Mission Planning, Flight Dynamics, Electronic Procedures, Software Simulators)
• Experience with mission planning and contact planning tools.
• Experience with scrum methodology and agile product development.
• Experience in full development lifecycle of space systems’ ground segments.
• Mission analysis, flight planning and timeline development (tool and analysis)
• Experience designing and evaluating operational readiness tests integrated with hardware-in-the-loop, and software-in-the-loop simulators.
• Experience with operational fault and anomaly management.
• Experience with performing system safety analyses including Functional Hazard Assessments (FHA), Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analyses (FMECA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)

Base Pay Range For

VA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45 CO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90 WA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45

Other Site Ranges May Differ

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 Affiangse 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.