Fleet Naval Architect (Analyst / Naval Architect)

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority over Blue Origin's in-service maritime assets, including booster recovery vessels, support craft, and shoreside marine infrastructure.
• Provide engineering oversight of the operating fleet, ensuring continued compliance with ABS rules, USCG regulations (CFRs), flag and port-state requirements, and contractual specifications.
• Plan, scope, and technically execute drydock periods, special and annual ABS surveys, USCG COI / inspection cycles, and condition-based maintenance windows.
• Review and approve modifications, upgrades, and repair dispositions on in-service vessels: drawings, calculations, work packages, and test procedures.
• Coordinate with ABS surveyors and USCG OCMIs for all in-service regulatory obligations, including credit surveys, conditions of class, and inspection findings closure.
• Lead technical trade studies and risk management activities for in-service modifications, upgrades, and operational changes; defend or revise design decisions during active solution trades when the recovery mission, sea state, or aerospace interface drives new requirements.
• Interface with the Aerospace Engineering teams to ensure marine assets continue to accommodate recovery operations as recovery hardware, sequences, and concepts of operations evolve.
• Oversee Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and shipboard commissioning for in-service equipment replacements, automation upgrades, and major component overhauls; co-review FAT for new-build items where in-service operability or commonality is implicated.
• Coordinate with the Senior Marine Electrical Engineer on in-service electrical system health, integration of upgrades, and recommissioning after repair.
• Participate in new-build technical reviews led by the Technical Lead (Analyst / Naval Architect) as co-reviewer for operability, maintainability, sparing, and crew transition; provide field-derived feedback to inform construction decisions.
• Coordinate with the Recovery Offshore Operations Engineer on in-service vessel performance, recovery equipment integration, and operational requirements; assume primary mentorship of the Recovery Offshore Operations Engineer on vessel systems and classification topics post-delivery, in coordination with the new-build Technical Lead during construction.
• Hold technical authority over port engineering and maintenance contractors, OEM field service representatives, and shoreside support personnel; assign tasks, set technical direction, and verify execution.
• Read and assess blueprints, schematics, survey reports, and OEM service bulletins to ensure all maritime assets align with OEM best practices and to maximize system performance and lifetime.
• Manage subcontracts with marine repair yards, OEMs, and component suppliers, including requests for proposal, specifications, statements of work, budget tracking, and execution oversight.
• Develop and maintain technical baselines, configuration records, and modification histories for each fleet asset; ensure clean handoff at delivery from the new-build program.
• Provide status reporting to senior management on fleet technical health, survey and drydock readiness, and modification execution.
• Plan and conduct hazardous or critical operations at the pier, in drydock, and at sea, with a strong safety mindset and hands-on involvement.

Requirements

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum of 10 years of combined relevant field experience in vessel asset management, port engineering, in-service vessel modifications and repairs, or sailing experience as Chief Engineer or 1st Assistant Engineer; new-construction oversight experience is valued but not a substitute for in-service field experience.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting and resolving real-time technical issues on operating vessels, including engine room casualties, hull and structural findings, automation faults, and piping or HVAC failures.
• Experience planning and executing drydock periods, ABS surveys, and USCG inspections on operating vessels.
• Experience working with United States Coast Guard and local OCMIs on in-service matters (COIs, inspections, deficiencies, marine casualty reporting).
• Experience working with American Bureau of Shipping surveyors on in-service matters (annual, intermediate, special, and credit surveys; conditions of class).
• Experience performing work in compliance with CFRs, USCG standards, ABS guidelines, and other applicable standards for marine applications.
• Experience developing drawings, specifications, and work packages to define requirements for vessel repairs, modifications, and upgrades.
• Experience with FAT testing of marine electrical systems, automation, and major equipment, including shipboard commissioning.
• Experience managing repair and modification schedules and providing status reports to senior management.
• Experience leading schedule mitigation efforts during execution.
• Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to direct and mentor less experienced team members and to hold technical authority over contractors and OEM field representatives without formal direct reports.
• Experience in subcontract management of suppliers including requests for proposal, specifications, statements of work, and budget management.
• Strong safety mindset and experience, including hands-on experience planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.