MK2 GN&C Flight Controls Engineer III – Lunar Permanence

About the Role

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. You will join the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) team with an emphasis on Flight Controls, contributing to the development of control laws and flight software for spacecraft from Earth to the Moon. Responsibilities include prototyping algorithms, conducting trade studies, performing stability analyses, and collaborating with other subsystems and spacecraft systems engineers.

Responsibilities

• Prototype algorithms and conduct trade studies for control architectures.
• Perform linear stability analyses using classical and modern approaches.
• Collaborate with subsystems and spacecraft systems engineers to define boundaries, interfaces, and technical performance measures.
• Exemplify best practices, balanced technical judgment, and superior work ethic.
• Apply technical expertise and leadership skills to positively impact safe human spaceflight.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Aerospace, Mechatronic, Electrical Engineering, or closely related field.
• Applied industry experience and/or M.S. or Ph.D. focused on spacecraft controls development.
• Proven experience in GN&C algorithm development for flight and attitude control.
• Knowledge of frequency domain analysis techniques.
• Understanding of controller stability derivatives and margins related to flexible body dynamics, slosh dynamics, and spacecraft dynamics.
• Experience with control law design for aerospace vehicles.
• Familiarity with requirements, interfaces, trades, and analyses for aerospace GN&C applications.
• Understanding of the relationship between attitude control, vehicle configuration, spacecraft dynamics, actuators, sensors, and automation.
• Proficiency in Matlab/Simulink and Model Based Development.
• Experience coding in C/C++.
• Understanding of software and data configuration management techniques and tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to earn trust and maintain positive professional relationships.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace, Mechatronic, Electrical Engineering, or closely related field.
• Proven experience in development, implementation, and testing of GN&C systems for aerospace vehicles.
• Technical experience through the full lifecycle of system development.
• Proficiency in control law schemes (PID, Phase-Plane, H-Infinity, Lead and Lag Compensators, Dynamic Inversion, etc.).
• Experience designing flight control systems with RCS, thrusters, TVC, or electric propulsion.
• Deep knowledge of astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, and attitude kinematics/dynamics.
• Experience with spacecraft control system design for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations and Docking (RPOD).
• On-orbit experience providing GN&C support during mission operations.
• Experience with Monte Carlo simulations, hardware-in-the-loop, and software-in-the-loop testing.
• Experience with real-time flight software and Simulink/Embedded Coder.
• Hands-on experience with GN&C flight hardware.
• Experience with system safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA).
• Experience with Matlab/Simulink linear analysis tools.
• Experience with collaboration tools (Gitlab, Confluence, JIRA).

Pay

Base pay range for CO applicants: $119,814.00 - $167,738.55. Base pay range for WA applicants: $130,706.00 - $182,987.70. Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

• 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%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week).
• Paid Time Off: Up to four weeks per year based on scheduled hours, plus up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Dependent on role type and job level, eligibility for bonuses based on individual contributions and company performance.