Senior Propulsion Engineer - Engines

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

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 Blue Origin Engines business unit, where our focus is the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of engines and propulsion systems. Built for multiple uses, our family of engines is powering the next generation of rockets for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight.

As part of a small group of engineers, you will serve as the technical integrator for a LOX/LNG booster engine. You will sit at the intersection of every technical discipline on the program, owning the systems architecture, driving requirements from top-level customer needs down through subsystems, and ensuring that every design decision rolls up into a system that meets its performance, reliability, and operability goals. This is a role with real ownership and real influence, on a team that moves fast, dives deep, and does not settle for good enough.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• 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

Minimum 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a lead or sole systems engineer on a liquid rocket engine program with direct accountability for technical integrity


• Experience with high-performance engine cycles


• Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, DNG, Jama, or equivalent, and Atlassian tools including Jira and Confluence


• System Safety analysis experience including FMECA, FTA, and FHA in a flight-critical environment


• Experience with reliability, maintainability, and supportability (RMS) analysis and execution

Base Pay Range for:

WA applicants is $145,188.00 - $203,263.20

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 Affiantive Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us [e-mail]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.