Blue Origin

Principal Propulsion Engineer - Engines

Blue Origin$169K — $237K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or a related field
  • 10+ years in propulsion or aerospace system development, focusing on liquid rocket engines
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience with requirements development and system-level verification
  • Strong understanding of propulsion fundamentals across combustion devices and turbomachinery
  • Familiar with requirements management tools like DOORS, DNG, Jama, and Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence)

Responsibilities

  • Own the engine-level systems architecture and ensure coherent design decisions
  • Develop and allocate requirements across subsystems, maintaining traceability to each
  • Define and control key interfaces between engine subsystems and vehicle
  • Lead engine-level trade studies with a focus on actionable recommendations
  • Engage with test data and anomaly investigations to identify optimization opportunities
  • Identify technical risks early and communicate program status to stakeholders
  • Coordinate System Safety analysis, ensuring complete hazard coverage

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance including supplemental options
  • Paid parental leave and short/long-term disability coverage
  • 401(k) with up to 5% company match and stock options for eligible employees
  • Generous paid time off policies including up to four weeks off and 14 holidays
  • Education Support Program to assist in furthering employee education
Full Job Description

Application close date:

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

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 a small group of engineers, you will serve as the technical integrator for a LOX/LNG booster engine. You will sit at the intersection of every technical discipline on the program, owning the systems architecture, driving requirements from top-level customer needs down through subsystems, and ensuring that every design decision rolls up into a system that meets its performance, reliability, and operability goals. This is a role with real ownership and real influence, on a team that moves fast, dives deep, and does not settle for good enough.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Own the engine-level systems architecture, ensuring design decisions made at the subsystem level are coherent, traceable, and optimized for the system as a whole
  • Develop, decompose, and allocate requirements across subsystems, maintaining clear traceability and a credible path to verification for every requirement
  • Define and control all key interfaces between engine subsystems and between the engine and vehicle, resolving conflicts before they become integration problems
  • Lead engine-level trade studies with analytical rigor, driving clear recommendations that advance the program rather than cataloguing options
  • Actively engage with test data, anomaly investigations, and design iterations to identify optimization opportunities and push system performance
  • Identify technical risks early, develop mitigation strategies, and communicate program status with clarity and honesty to leadership and stakeholders
  • Serve as the technical hub across a wide range of stakeholders — subsystem engineers, vehicle teams, test operations, and program leadership
  • Coordinate System Safety analysis across the engine, ensuring complete hazard coverage and no gaps across subsystems
  • Lead and prepare for major program reviews, setting a high bar for technical readiness and ensuring the team is prepared to defend their designs
  • Maintain configuration discipline across drawings, interface control documents, and design documentation so the team always has an accurate picture of the current system

Minimum Qualifications:

  • B.S. or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field
  • 10+ years of experience in propulsion or aerospace system development, with meaningful time spent on liquid rocket engine programs
  • Hands-on experience with requirements development, interface definition, and system-level verification on flight or flight-like hardware
  • Sufficient propulsion fundamentals to engage credibly with subsystem engineers across combustion devices, turbomachinery, and feed systems
  • Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, DNG, Jama, or equivalent, and Atlassian tools including Jira and Confluence

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Prior experience as a lead or sole systems engineer on a liquid rocket engine program with direct accountability for technical integrity
  • Experience with high-performance engine cycles
  • System Safety analysis experience including FMECA, FTA, and FHA in a flight-critical environment
  • Experience with reliability, maintainability, and supportability (RMS) analysis and execution
  • Prior experience at a fast-moving launch vehicle or propulsion developer where hardware has flown

Compensation Range for:

WA applicants is $169,624.00 - $237,473.25

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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.

Background Check

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

  • Required for Certain Job Profiles: 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 (CDL drivers only), 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

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 companys intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the companys results, or other factors at the companys 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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