Sr. Propulsion Engineer – Thermo-Mechanical Analysis

Blue Origin LLC; Washington; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Parental leave

Disability

401(k)

Stock options

Paid time off

Company holidays

Job summary

Blue Origin in Washington state is seeking an experienced engineer to own the thermo-mechanical modeling of large-scale rotating hardware. You will build and maintain 2D axisymmetric models of rotors and casings, integrating them with secondary-flow networks to predict temperatures and clearances across the operating envelope.

You will collaborate with rotordynamics, CFD, materials, and test teams, applying your thermal and structural expertise to deliver reliable hardware and informed ConOps

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.
• 8+ years of experience in mechanical/thermal/structural analysis of rotating machinery.
• Hands-on ANSYS transient thermal and nonlinear structural FEA experience.
• Experience building whole-engine axisymmetric thermo-mechanical models.
• Ability to derive convective heat-transfer boundary conditions independently.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical models of rotating equipment.
• Translate 3D geometry to 2D representations for thermal-structural analysis.
• Implement transient operating profiles and assess effects on clearances.
• Collaborate across design, aero/CFD, rotordynamics, and materials to resolve issues.
• Contribute to gated reviews and maintain analysis-driven requirements.

Skills

Thermal / structural analysis

Axisymmetric modeling

Rotating equipment experience

ANSYS (FEA)

Cross-disciplinary teamwork

Problem solving and ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

ANSYS

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Python

ANSYS APDL

Flownex

Job description

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! 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 our hardworking team of engineers, you will own the thermo-mechanical modeling of our large-scale rotating hardware. You will build and maintain 2D axisymmetric whole-engine models of the rotor and casing, integrate them with secondary-flow networks, and predict the metal temperatures, structural margins, and running clearances that determine whether our turbomachinery performs and survives. This position is integral to the success of our missions and requires strong familiarity with rotating-equipment structural and thermal analysis. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required! Special Mentions: Relocation provided Travel expected up to 20% of the time.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and own 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical whole-engine / whole-pump models of rotating equipment, predicting metal temperatures, component deflections, and clearances across the full operating envelope. Translate 3D component and assembly geometry into efficient 2D axisymmetric representations that capture the governing thermal and structural features. Implement transient operating profiles (startup, acceleration, steady-state, throttle transients, shutdown, and cooldown / soak-back) and assess their effect on differential growth and clearances. Work closely with secondary-flow analysts to develop conjugate thermal-fluid models, translating internal-flow network outputs (cavity pressures, temperatures, leakage flows, windage) into convective boundary conditions using rotating-disc, gaspath, and cavity heat-transfer correlations; calibrate against rig and engine test data. Apply thermal boundary conditions to axisymmetric structural models to predict rotor stack, casing stack separation margin, radial fits, and critical radial / axial clearance closure across transients for critical flow area and rub margin assessment. Perform component structural margin, bolted-joint, and interference-fit assessments using 2D and 3D ANSYS, and feed results to life assessment (LCF / HCF / creep). Synthesize thermal and structural analysis results into actionable operability guidance, informing and negotiating system-level ConOps trades that balances hardware reliability and life against mission performance objectives. Collaborate across disciplines - design, aero / CFD, secondary flow, rotordynamics, materials, and test - to anchor analysis assumptions and resolve complex hardware issues. Develop and maintain analysis-driven design requirements and documentation; contribute technical artifacts to subsystem and program gated reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR).

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in mechanical / structural / thermal analysis of rotating machinery or comparable high-performance hardware (or fewer years with demonstrated ownership of a whole-engine / 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical model).
• Hands-on experience with transient thermal and nonlinear structural finite element analysis in ANSYS (contact, plasticity, thermal-structural coupling).
• Demonstrated experience building (not just running) whole-engine / 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical models of rotating equipment.
• Ability to independently derive convective heat-transfer boundary conditions from engineering correlations (does not depend on a separate CFD team to populate a thermal model).
• Experience working in cross-disciplinary engineering teams.
• A track record of taking ownership, showing resilience in the face of challenges, and consistently delivering results.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience working in aerospace.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience producing tip-clearance / pinch-point predictions that informed clearance budgets or active clearance control.
• Life assessment experience: thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF), creep, low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue (LCF / HCF).
• Rotordynamics literacy (Campbell diagrams, critical speeds, bearing support stiffness) sufficient to close the radial clearance budget.
• Experience correlating and calibrating thermo-mechanical models against rig or engine test data.
• Component design experience (bladed rotors / blisks, discs, casings, seals, bolted joints).
• Scripting and automation (Python, MATLAB, ANSYS APDL).
• Working knowledge of ASME Y14.5 GD&T and tolerance / stack-up analysis.
• Experience with 1D fluid-network tools (e.g., Flownex) and proprietary whole-engine-model toolchains.
• Background in gas turbines, steam turbines, APUs, turbochargers, or oil & gas dense-gas compressors / expanders.
• Demonstrated use of — or genuine enthusiasm to adopt — modern AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., LLM-based coding/analysis assistants integrated into the daily development environment) to accelerate modeling, scripting, and documentation.
• Experience with LabVIEW and MATLAB.

Benefits

• 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, under 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.

Background Check

• Blue’s Standard Background Check Required for all positions.
• 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.

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.

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 workforce. 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.

Culture Statement

We’re committed to building the road to space so our children can build the future. We are a mission-driven company focused on ideas and innovation, and encourage fresh perspectives from bold voices. At Blue, our team is building the future as their unique selves. Thank you for your interest in working at Blue Origin! Blue Origin was founded with a vision to enable a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth. In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes in the need to enable humanity to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space. Blue Origin believes it has an important role in building a road to space and lowering the cost of getting there. At Blue Origin, we’re working on this today by developing fully reusable launch vehicles and systems that are safe, reliable and affordable. Every launch vehicle is designed for human spaceflight from the beginning and able to ferry payloads to space.