Thermal Engineer II

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 Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. We are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface as part of the Human Landing System (HLS) program in direct collaboration with NASA.

About the role

As part of a hardworking team of engineers, you will contribute to the definition and development of spacecraft thermal control systems. You will be responsible for the development and integration of thermal components across the Blue Moon Crew Lander, focusing on Active Thermal Control fluid routing design, build, integration, testing, and verification. This role requires comfort working in a fast-paced and often uncertain environment while demonstrating personal leadership, technical competence, and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide manufacturing and production support for hardware
• Provide technical guidance for integration
• Apply practical approaches to hardware fabrication and cost impacts
• Create test plans, specifications, and other documentation for the development of flight hardware
• Plan, coordinate, conduct tests, and review test data
• Maintain and report on activity schedule, budget, and technical status
• Ensure Active Thermal Control fluid routing and working fluid are fully qualified before delivery to vehicle assembly for integration and system-level testing

Requirements

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 3+ years of relevant Thermal Engineering or Mechanical Engineering experience
• Strong mechanical design and integration skills using 3D CAD software
• Demonstrated experience assembling and testing hardware
• Understanding of aerospace hardware verification and validation process
• Familiarity with common spacecraft Active Thermal Control hardware such as fittings, tubing, working fluids, heat exchangers, and valves
• Experience with CAD software; preferably Creo
• U.S. citizenship or national, U.S. permanent residency (current Green Card holder), or lawful admission into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Preferred Skills and Experience

• M.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 5+ years of relevant aerospace experience
• Ability to rapidly apply structural mechanics principles and develop designs using hand calculations and finite element analysis
• Experience in designing, building, and testing fluid routing systems
• Design for manufacturability and for fluid loop hardware
• Material properties testing experience
• Solid understanding of pumped fluid loop hardware such as tubing, cold plates, radiators, valves, and heat exchangers
• Familiarity with analysis codes: Nastran, ANSYS, Optistruct, Abaqus, HyperMesh, Hypersizer
• Professional experience applying GD&T per ASME Y14.5
• Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with engineers, managers, and program leadership
• Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced environment

Pay

Base pay range for CO applicants: $98,208 – $137,491. Base pay range for WA applicants: $107,136 – $149,990. Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 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 weekly scheduled hours, plus up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for additional benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results