Sr. Propulsion Engineer – Thermo-Mechanical Analysis

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. This role is part of the Blue Origin Engines business unit, focusing on the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of engines and propulsion systems for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight.

About the role

As part of our hardworking team of engineers, you will own the thermo-mechanical modeling of our large-scale rotating hardware. You will build and maintain 2D axisymmetric whole-engine models of the rotor and casing, integrate them with secondary-flow networks, and predict metal temperatures, structural margins, and running clearances. This position requires strong familiarity with rotating-equipment structural and thermal analysis and a passion for our mission of safe human spaceflight.

Relocation provided. Travel expected up to 20% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and own 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical whole-engine / whole-pump models of rotating equipment, predicting metal temperatures, component deflections, and clearances across the full operating envelope.
• Translate 3D component and assembly geometry into efficient 2D axisymmetric representations that capture the governing thermal and structural features.
• Implement transient operating profiles (startup, acceleration, steady-state, throttle transients, shutdown, and cooldown / soak-back) and assess their effect on differential growth and clearances.
• Work closely with secondary-flow analysts to develop conjugate thermal-fluid models, translating internal-flow network outputs (cavity pressures, temperatures, leakage flows, windage) into convective boundary conditions using rotating-disc, gaspath, and cavity heat-transfer correlations; calibrate against rig and engine test data.
• Apply thermal boundary conditions to axisymmetric structural models to predict rotor stack, casing stack separation margin, radial fits, and critical radial / axial clearance closure across transients for critical flow area and rub margin assessment.
• Perform component structural margin, bolted-joint, and interference-fit assessments using 2D and 3D ANSYS, and feed results to life assessment (LCF / HCF / creep).
• Synthesize thermal and structural analysis results into actionable operability guidance, informing and negotiating system-level ConOps trades that balance hardware reliability and life against mission performance objectives.
• Collaborate across disciplines — design, aero / CFD, secondary flow, rotordynamics, materials, and test — to anchor analysis assumptions and resolve complex hardware issues.
• Develop and maintain analysis-driven design requirements and documentation; contribute technical artifacts to subsystem and program gated reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in mechanical / structural / thermal analysis of rotating machinery or comparable high-performance hardware (or fewer years with demonstrated ownership of a whole-engine / 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical model).
• Hands-on experience with transient thermal and nonlinear structural finite element analysis in ANSYS (contact, plasticity, thermal-structural coupling).
• Demonstrated experience building (not just running) whole-engine / 2D axisymmetric thermo-mechanical models of rotating equipment.
• Ability to independently derive convective heat-transfer boundary conditions from engineering correlations (does not depend on a separate CFD team to populate a thermal model).
• Experience working in cross-disciplinary engineering teams.
• A track record of taking ownership, showing resilience in the face of challenges, and consistently delivering results.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience working in aerospace.
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience producing tip-clearance / pinch-point predictions that informed clearance budgets or active clearance control.
• Life assessment experience: thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF), creep, low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue (LCF / HCF).
• Rotordynamics literacy (Campbell diagrams, critical speeds, bearing support stiffness) sufficient to close the radial clearance budget.
• Experience correlating and calibrating thermo-mechanical models against rig or engine test data.
• Component design experience (bladed rotors / blisks, discs, casings, seals, bolted joints).
• Scripting and automation (Python, MATLAB, ANSYS APDL).
• Working knowledge of ASME Y14.5 GD&T and tolerance / stack-up analysis.
• Experience with 1D fluid-network tools (e.g., Flownex) and proprietary whole-engine-model toolchains.
• Background in gas turbines, steam turbines, APUs, turbochargers, or oil & gas dense-gas compressors / expanders.
• Demonstrated use of — or genuine enthusiasm to adopt — modern AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., LLM-based coding/analysis assistants) to accelerate modeling, scripting, and documentation.
• Experience with LabVIEW and MATLAB.

Pay

Base pay range for WA applicants is $145,188.00 - $203,263.20. Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 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.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for additional benefits and bonuses.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

• Blue’s Standard Background Check (required for all positions).
• Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check (required for certain job profiles if the role requires access to a military installation).
• Additional requirements for drivers operating Commercial Motor Vehicles (e.g., Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification, Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection, CDL requirements if applicable, and hazardous materials training).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential (required for certain job profiles, including pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical).