Senior Spaceflight Controls Engineer – On‑Site

Blue Origin; Washington; On-site; USD 131,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Stock options

Paid time off & holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced Controls Engineer to own the control-system architecture of high‑precision, multi‑axis machines produced in-house. You will write and commission real‑time control logic, develop PLC/HMI software, and ensure safety interlocks and calibration routines across a production fleet.

You will work on a senior, hands‑on team that bridges design and floor operations, with on‑site responsibilities and opportunities to influence future platform generations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent.
• 5+ years in machine tool automation and industrial controls.
• Experience with PLC programming and HMI design.
• Experience creating/modifying electrical schematics and P&ID drawings.
• Experience with industrial control networks (EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP).
• Experience with servo motion control, including drive sizing, tuning, and encoder feedback.
• Knowledge of machine safety requirements and control logic.
• Ability to troubleshoot a machine in operation.

Responsibilities

• Own the control-system architecture of a two-controller machine—motion controller and PLC interface.
• Develop PLC software across subsystems: fluids, gas, material handling, motion, temp, diagnostics, HMI, safety logic.
• Develop and tune multi-axis motion control incl. master/slave axes and servo tuning.
• Debug high-resolution encoder feedback across fleets.
• Develop calibration routines to correct geometric error in large axes.
• Develop machine-side software in C++ or equivalent for real‑time execution.
• Create electrical schematics and P&ID drawings; coordinate cabinet wiring.
• Collaborate with electricians for cabinet assembly and fieldbus setup.
• Design and validate machine safety logic over fieldbus; ensure NFPA guidelines.
• Develop operator-facing HMI screens and diagnostics; ensure fault visibility.
• Instrument machines for data capture and logging for fault reconstruction.
• Own cross-discipline integration with mechanical, electrical, and process engineering.
• Participate in testing, data analysis, and root-cause analysis on controls issues.
• Support commissioning and bring-up of new machines; upgrade field-ed machines.
• Maintain version control of drawings, code, and configurations.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI design

Machine tool automation

Encoder feedback

Safety logic

C++ or similar

Electrical engineering basics

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical/Mechanical Eng, CS

Tools

TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

EtherNet/IP

Modbus TCP

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced Controls Engineer to own the control-system architecture of high‑precision, multi‑axis machines produced in-house. You will write and commission real‑time control logic, develop PLC/HMI software, and ensure safety interlocks and calibration routines across a production fleet.

You will work on a senior, hands‑on team that bridges design and floor operations, with on‑site responsibilities and opportunities to influence future platform generations.