Blue Origin

New Glenn Recovery Operations Engineer

Blue Origin$90K — $120K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial Engineering, or related fields.
  • 5+ years of experience in flight operations, test operations, or high-consequence operational environments.
  • Experience in writing and executing technical procedures or checklists in English.
  • Track record of conducting critical operations with a strong focus on safety.
  • Ability to lead during ambiguous and time-sensitive situations while maintaining calmness.
  • Willingness to support non-standard hours and extended on-site deployment.
  • Capability to work in various field environments and conditions.

Responsibilities

  • Plan and improve flight, launch, landing, and recovery operations for Blue Origin missions.
  • Develop operations products like procedures, checklists, and contingency response plans.
  • Provide engineering support for maintenance of recovery systems interfacing with the booster.
  • Conduct root cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions for recovery system issues.
  • Perform safety analyses for flight and ground operations to manage risks effectively.
  • Define operational requirements for flight and ground support equipment.
  • Support mission readiness through simulations, rehearsals, and readiness reviews.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, including life insurance options.
  • 401(k) plan with company match and stock options for qualified employees.
  • Generous paid time off policy, including up to four weeks of vacation and multiple holidays per year.
  • Education Support Program to encourage continuous learning and development.
Full Job Description

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

This role supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

As part of a hardworking team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will support the off-shore recovery of the New Glenn first stage booster from touchdown to returning to port. This includes the vehicle operations required to safe and secure the booster, as well as the operations and technical ownership of the system on the Landing Platform Vessel (LPV) that interface with the booster. The ideal candidate is operations-focused, calm under pressure, and deeply committed to safety and mission success. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop procedures, real-time flight rules, and safety controls that protect our people, hardware, and environment while supporting an efficient launch cadence. Leveraging systems thinking, disciplined operations practices, and sound engineering judgment, you will help deliver on Blue Origin’s mission of building a road to space for the benefit of Earth. 

Special Mentions:

  • Shifts: This role will require supporting console operations for launch from day of launch through booster return to port.

  • Relocation provided

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Plan, execute, and continuously improve flight, launch, landing, and recovery operations for Blue Origin vehicles and missions. 

  • Develop and maintain operations products including procedures, checklists, flight rules, console user guides, playbooks, and contingency response plans. 

  • Schedule and provide engineering support for the preventative maintenance on the recovery systems that interface with the recovered booster to include the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), transit stands, and nitrogen system onboard the Landing Platform Vessel (LPV).

  • Conduct root cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions for all dispositions relating to the recovery systems that interface with the booster from touchdown to return to port.

  • Perform hazard identification, risk assessments, and launch safety analyses for flight and ground operations, ensuring risks are understood, communicated, and controlled. 

  • Define and validate operational requirements for flight and ground support equipment (GSE), including facilities, vehicles, vessels, communications, and recovery systems. 

  • Support mission readiness activities, including simulations, rehearsals, readiness reviews, go/no-go criteria, and launch commit/abort decision processes. 

  • Provide real-time operations support (e.g., console operations, field leadership, offshore/onshore coordination) throughout all phases of launch, flight, landing, and recovery. 

  • Lead or support anomaly response and post-flight investigations, including data review, root cause analysis, and development of corrective and preventive actions. 

  • Ensure all operations comply with internal safety standards and external regulations (e.g., FAA, range safety, OSHA, and maritime/aviation regulations as applicable). 

  • Capture operational lessons learned and drive continuous improvement to enhance safety margins, reduce operational risk, increase reliability, and improve schedule and cost performance. 

  • Develop domain expertise in one or more areas such as launch operations, range safety, mission control/flight console operations, offshore recovery, aviation operations, or ground systems operations, while maintaining a broad understanding of end-to-end mission needs. 

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university (other relevant technical fields may be considered). 

  • 5+ years of experience in flight operations, test operations, range/launch safety, mission control, marine/aviation operations, or other high-consequence operational environments. 

  • Demonstrated experience writing and executing technical procedures, checklists, or work instructions in English. 

  • Proven track record planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations with a strong safety mindset. 

  • Demonstrated ability to lead in ambiguous, time-critical environments, make sound decisions with incomplete data, and maintain composure under pressure. 

  • Ability and willingness to support non-standard hours, shift work, and extended periods of on-site or field deployment during test, launch, and recovery campaigns. 

  • Ability to work in field environments (e.g., launch sites, test ranges, offshore or remote locations) including use of PPE, climbing ladders/stairs, standing for extended periods, and working in varied weather conditions, as required by the role.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • 8+ years of experience in launch operations, range safety, flight test, mission control, marine recovery, aviation operations, or similar mission-critical environments. 

  • Understanding of product lifecycle management for complex systems, including gated reviews, verification and validation, and configuration control. 

  • Experience operating or troubleshooting remote or autonomous systems such as remote-operated vehicles, ground control systems, or telemetry and command systems. 

  • Familiarity with relevant regulations and standards, including FAA/AST launch and reentry regulations and range safety practices, maritime regulations (e.g., USCG CFRs, ABS, DNV) where applicable, and OSHA or other industrial safety standards. 

  • Experience with test planning and execution, including defining objectives, writing test plans and procedures, conducting tests, and documenting results. 

  • Hands-on experience with hazardous systems such as high-pressure gas, hydraulic systems, cryogenic propellants, or energetic systems. 

  • Experience conducting hazard analyses, FMEA/FMECA, fault tree analysis, or quantitative risk assessments for complex operations. 

  • Proficiency with business and engineering tools such as MS Office and product lifecycle management (PLM) or requirements management systems (e.g., Windchill). 

  • For roles supporting offshore recovery operations, eligibility and willingness to obtain and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and to work on maritime vessels for extended periods. 

  • Prior experience in aerospace, defense, marine, or aviation industries, particularly in reusable or high-availability systems. 

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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