Senior Simulation Engineer

About the role

This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design.

Responsibilities

• Early studies / pre-project work (architecture & trades) and Project execution (design, implementation, verification)
• Rapidly stand up and iterate Newton dynamic models (6-DoF / multi-body as appropriate) to evaluate system concepts, margins, sensitivity, and operational envelopes
• Build scenario-based rover mobility studies in Isaac Sim (terrain/slope/obstacle cases, contact/traction behaviors, repeatable test harnesses) to inform requirements and design decisions
• Develop terra mechanics approaches appropriate to fidelity needs (e.g., simplified parametric models for trades vs. higher-fidelity models for risk retirement) and quantify key sensitivities/uncertainties
• Support control architecture and actuator concept trades by providing simulation data products (control margins, sensitivity sweeps, operational envelopes)
• Produce technical roadmaps: model maturation plan, test-to-model correlation plan, and phased verification strategy (MIL→SIL→HIL)
• Generate synthetic data to support machine learning training activities
• Mature Isaac Sim + Newton models into verification-grade assets: configuration management, parameter governance, logging/metrics, automated regression scenarios
• Correlate models to component/vehicle/rover test data; drive system identification, parameter updates, and model credibility arguments
• Implement plant models, actuator dynamics, sensor models, and environment interactions within simulation frameworks to enable closed-loop analysis
• Define simulation verification artifacts (test cases, scenario coverage, acceptance criteria, model credibility evidence) for both space vehicle and rover mobility domains
• Support debugging and anomaly resolution from lab to integrated testing (and operations as applicable) through simulation replay and analysis
• Mentor junior engineers and establish best practices for simulation/modeling software quality and reviews

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years developing physics-based simulation and dynamic models for high-reliability systems (aerospace/space, mobility platforms, or similarly mission-critical systems)
• Strong dynamics and multibody modeling fundamentals: rigid/flexible body formulations, contact mechanics, actuator/sensor abstraction, numerical methods
• Demonstrated ability to use simulation to drive decisions across the lifecycle: trade studies → design → verification
• Experience with simulation framework development (Python, C/C++) plus disciplined configuration management, automated testing, and verification practices
• Familiarity with control system concepts sufficient to implement and evaluate closed-loop simulations (stability, estimation, tuning)

Desired Qualifications

• B.S. (M.S./Ph.D. preferred) in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Robotics, Computational Science, or related field
• Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Isaac Sim for mobility/vehicle scenario simulation (repeatable environments, terrain/contact interaction workflows, logging/analysis)
• Experience developing/using Newton dynamics models for rapid iteration and verification support (multi-body/6-DoF, actuator/sensor abstractions, Monte Carlo/sensitivity)
• Lunar surface terra mechanics experience (slip/traction modeling, sinkage/rolling resistance, slope handling)
• MIL/SIL/HIL verification experience and automated regression testing of simulation scenarios
• Experience correlating models to hardware test data (system identification, parameter estimation, model credibility frameworks)
• Experience applying modern software practices to modeling/simulation (CI, automated tests, configuration/parameter management)

Base Pay Range

For WA applicants is $197,529.00 – $276,539.55. 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 (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays