Blue Origin

Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineer I - Early Career (2026 Starts)

Blue Origin$87K — $122K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in physics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field, obtained within the last year.
  • Knowledge in designing and testing control systems in aerospace or mechanical systems.
  • Fundamental understanding of dynamics, orbital mechanics, estimation, and control theory.
  • Experience in GN&C algorithm development for aerospace or robotics applications.
  • Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink, and C/C++ software development.
  • Internship or co-op experience demonstrating technical and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

  • Manage projects relating to guidance, navigation, controls, avionics, and systems engineering.
  • Design, analyze and develop guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) software for spaceflight systems.
  • Enhance existing GN&C software to boost reliability and reduce costs.
  • Conduct system analyses including simulations and Monte-Carlo methods for performance verification.
  • Collaborate on specific tasks in alignment with business unit goals.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Life insurance options (basic and supplemental).
  • Paid parental leave and short/long-term disability.
  • 401(k) with a 5% company match.
  • Education support program, stock options, and paid time off up to four weeks.
Full Job Description
Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

Multiple positions available across our Business Units. You will be matched with an appropriate engineering team based on your skillset and experience and our current business needs.

Timeline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Primary locations:

We prioritize placing early career engineers in locations where they can be co-located with their team and the relevant hardware they support. The primary locations for this role are listed below. Please indicate in the application where you would be willing to be located.
  • Kent, WA
  • Denver, CO
  • Reston, VA


Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
  • Your projects may include guidance, navigation, controls, autonomy, avionics, simulation, mission design, trajectory optimization, system test, aero sciences, mission design, trajectory optimization, and systems engineering.
  • Design, analyze, develop and verify guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) software for spaceflight systems.
  • Build on our existing human-rated GN&C software to improve reliability, enable capabilities, and reduce operating cost.
  • Perform system analyses, including simulations and Monte-Carlo, to satisfy specifications and requirements and to drive system-level architectural decisions.
  • Specific duties are subject to our business unit objectives.


Qualifications:
  • Minimum of a B.S. degree in physics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or other relevant engineering field.
  • Will have earned their degree within the last year and able to start by Fall 2026.
  • Demonstrated knowledge in designing and testing control systems for aerospace vehicles or mechanical and fluidic subsystems.
  • Fundamental understanding of dynamics, orbital mechanics, estimation, and control theory.
  • Practical experience in guidance, navigation, and controls algorithm development and analysis for aerospace or mobile robotic applications.
  • Strong software and model development skills, particularly in MATLAB/Simulink, and C/C++.
  • Relevant internship/co-op and/or hands-on experience that demonstrate development of both technical skills as well as leadership qualities.
  • Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and strengthen our culture of inclusion.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team on rapid development programs.
  • Flexible and adaptable mindset.
  • Self-driven with the ability to seek out requirements with minimal direction.


Desired:
  • M.S. degree or PhD in physics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or another relevant STEM field.
  • Knowledge of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas and fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.
  • Experience with modeling electro-mechanical, hydraulic and electrical subsystems.
  • Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations using system identification or other numerical methods.
  • Experience developing and verifying physical models for the purpose of control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation.
  • Experience with Spacecraft Systems Engineering
  • Experience with Monte Carlo simulation testing.
  • Experience supporting flight testing or launch operations
  • Experience supporting component level testing and/or flight testing.
  • Ability to continuously manage risk and become comfortable with lean software development techniques
  • Proven system engineering, configuration management skills.
  • Experience with Python and Linux environments.
  • Experience with Verification and Validation


How to prepare:

We are solving challenging, new problems and we need people to represent a wide variety of perspectives. Experience in aerospace is not a requirement. We value broad academic and industry experiences such as Tech, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Automotive, and more.

When you apply, include your internship, co-curricular and research experience in your resume. Please also include the relevant programming languages you have used in these settings. If you haven't yet used a tool in a professional setting, please include relevant coursework that demonstrates your preparation for these roles.

Base Pay Range for:
VA applicants is $87,816.00 - $122,942.40CO applicants is $80,499.00 - $112,697.55WA applicants is $87,816.00 - $122,942.40

Other site ranges may differ

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.

About Blue Origin

Blue Origin is an aerospace company that develops rockets and spacecraft for commercial and government customers. The company's products include the New Shepard suborbital vehicle and the New Glenn orbital rocket. Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos and is headquartered in Kent, Washington.
Learn more about Blue Origin
Size
3,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2000

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