Senior Space Mechanisms Architect (Gimbals & Pointing)

Blue Origin LLC; United States; On-site; USD 231,000 - 323,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

Parental Leave

Disability Insurance

401(k) match

Education Support Program

Stock Options

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC in Washington state is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership in opto-mechanical systems for the TeraWave constellation. You will lead the design of space-based gimbals, define performance requirements, and guide verification across vibration, thermal vacuum, and life testing.

The role requires 15+ years in precision mechanisms for space, deep experience with Creo/NX/SolidWorks and FEA tools, and strong GD&T skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in precision mechanisms design for space or aerospace applications.
• Experience designing, analyzing, manufacturing, and qualifying gimbal assemblies or multi-axis pointing mechanisms for space environments.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD software (e.g., Creo, NX, SolidWorks) and finite element analysis tools (e.g., ANSYS, NASTRAN, Comsol).
• Experience with mechanism kinematics, dynamics, and structural analysis.
• Knowledge of space qualification testing including vibration, shock, thermal vacuum, and life testing.
• Experience with bearing systems, drive trains, and precision actuators for space mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and interface control documentation.
• Knowledge of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural design of precision gimbal assemblies for space-based optical communications terminals.
• Define and own mechanism-level performance requirements, error budgets, and design margins across structural, thermal, and dynamic domains.
• Drive design trades for gimbal configurations balancing mass, volume, stiffness, pointing accuracy, and on-orbit lifetime.
• Lead mechanism qualification programs including component-level and system-level testing in shock, vibration, thermal vacuum environments.
• Develop and maintain mechanism design standards, analysis workflows, and documentation to support incremental hardware build and test.
• Provide technical guidance to engineering teams on mechanism integration, harness routing, and interface control.
• Mentor junior and mid-level mechanical engineers in mechanisms design principles, analysis methods, and space qualification practices.
• Support production transition through design-for-manufacturability improvements, tolerance analysis, and supplier development.

Skills

Precision mechanisms

Leadership

Mentoring

GD&T

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Master's degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

Creo

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

NASTRAN

COMSOL

Job description

Blue Origin LLC in Washington state is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership in opto-mechanical systems for the TeraWave constellation. You will lead the design of space-based gimbals, define performance requirements, and guide verification across vibration, thermal vacuum, and life testing.

The role requires 15+ years in precision mechanisms for space, deep experience with Creo/NX/SolidWorks and FEA tools, and strong GD&T skills.