Sr. Mechanical Engineer - Lunar Permanence

About the role

Blue Origin’s Lunar Permanence business unit develops the Blue Moon landers and related products to build sustainable infrastructure for crew and cargo transport from Earth to the lunar surface. This senior Mechanical Engineering position focuses on the design, analysis, testing, and critical review of safety‑critical hardware, including mechanisms and secondary structure. The role provides leadership, expertise, and training for the mechanical team and contributes directly to the development of Lunar Transportation systems that will return humans to the Moon and enable permanent human presence beyond Earth.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership as a member of a cross‑disciplinary team in a fast‑paced design environment.
• Participate in the entire design cycle of flight and mission‑critical hardware.
• Collaborate with customers and stakeholders to define requirements and design architecture.
• Lead design trade studies.
• Create mechanical interface definitions, specifications, and control documents.
• Develop 3D CAD models and assemblies, part and assembly drawings, installation drawings, and other required technical documentation.
• Build and evaluate prototype assemblies.
• Create assembly aids and test fixtures.
• Collaborate on and document team mechanical best practices.
• Plan and conduct engineering tests and data reviews.
• Create and deliver presentations, proposals, and training material on technical subjects.
• Review assembly instructions and support hardware builds.
• Validate requirements through design, test, analysis, and inspection.
• Support Production and Quality Engineering as needed, including dispositioning material defects.
• Manage revisions of product design configurations throughout the product lifecycle.
• Mentor and train junior engineers.
• Review and approve designs and documentation created by other team members.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in mechanical design and analysis.
• Demonstrated expertise in structural analysis, including hand calculations and finite‑element analysis (FEA).
• Proficiency in 3D CAD software (e.g., Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA).
• Strong understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with aerospace, launch vehicle, or spacecraft mechanisms.
• Experience with recent versions of Creo, Windchill, and ANSYS Mechanical.
• Experience with fatigue analysis and fracture mechanics.
• Experience with advanced simulation tools (e.g., ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN).
• Knowledge of programming languages such as Python or MATLAB for data analysis and automation.

Pay

Base Pay Range: CO applicants $133,500.00 – $186,898.95; WA applicants $145,188.00 – $203,263.20. 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 company match up to 5%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock options for regular employees (≥20 hours/week).
• Paid Time Off: up to four weeks per year based on scheduled hours, plus up to 14 company‑paid holidays.
• Relocation assistance provided.
• Travel up to 15% on an as‑needed basis.

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies show many people hesitate to apply unless they match every qualification. Blue Origin is dedicated to building an authentic workplace; if you’re excited about this role but your experience isn’t a perfect match, we encourage you to apply.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or asylee. Background checks and, where applicable, Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) checks are required.