Blue Origin

Senior Propulsion Engineer - Engines

Blue Origin • $145K — $203K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or related field
  • 8+ years in propulsion or aerospace system development, with experience on liquid rocket engine programs
  • Hands-on expertise in requirements development and system-level verification
  • Solid understanding of propulsion fundamentals to collaborate with subsystem engineers
  • Experience with systems engineering tools and methodologies.

Responsibilities

  • Own and optimize engine-level systems architecture
  • Develop and allocate requirements across subsystems, ensuring traceability
  • Define key interfaces between engine subsystems and vehicle
  • Lead analytical engine-level trade studies and make informed recommendations
  • Utilize test data and design iterations to enhance system performance
  • Identify technical risks early and communicate status to leadership
  • Act as the technical hub among engineers, vehicle teams, and program leadership
  • Coordinate system safety analysis to ensure comprehensive hazard coverage.
  • Set high standards for technical readiness in program reviews.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Basic and supplemental life insurance
  • Paid parental leave and disability insurance
  • 401(k) with company matching up to 5%
  • Stock options available to all regular employees
  • Up to four weeks of paid time off annually plus 14 paid holidays
  • Education Support Program for ongoing learning opportunities.
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
  • 8+ 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

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
  • Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS, DNG, Jama, or equivalent, and Atlassian tools including Jira and Confluence
  • System Safety analysis experience including FMECA, FTA, and FHA in a flight-critical environment
  • Experience with reliability, maintainability, and supportability (RMS) analysis and execution

Base Pay Range for:

WA applicants is $145,188.00 - $203,263.20

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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