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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. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!  

Blue Origin is scaling launch operations across our current and future launch sites. The ground systems fluids team designs, builds, and activates the cryogenic propellant, high-pressure pneumatic, water deluge, and environmental conditioning systems that let a launch vehicle reach the pad, load, and fly. This role leads that team.

You will be both a technical leader and a people leader. On the technical side, you will own the quality of the fluid system designs coming out of your group. P&IDs, network models, thermal analyses, component selections, procedures, test plans. If it ships from the fluids team, you have reviewed it and stand behind it. On the people side, you will grow a group of engineers who are collectively responsible for tens of millions of dollars of pad hardware operating at cryogenic temperatures, at high pressures, in a marine coastal environment, with a launch schedule that does not soften.

This is a hands-on manager job. You will still work in the details. The people on your team have to know that you can do the work they are doing and that you will back their judgment.

Attributes We Are Looking For

• Extreme ownership. When your team ships something with a problem, that is your problem. When your team ships something excellent, credit belongs to them.
• Bias for the field. You have loaded cryogens, chased a leak in a nitrogen skid, or stood behind a pressure test. You are not a design manager who has only reviewed drawings.
• Sharp technical judgment. You can look at a P&ID and see the failure mode. You can look at a network model and see the assumption that is going to bite. You review with rigor.
• Comfort with hard problems that do not come with instructions. Launch pad fluids does not have a textbook. The right answer is often a first-principles derivation done under time pressure.
• Direct communication. You give clear feedback. You escalate risk with numbers and calm, not drama. You disagree with peers without making it personal.
• Team builder. You have hired, developed, and (when necessary) exited engineers. You know how to grow a junior engineer into a technical leader.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical quality of every fluid system design leaving the group: storage, conveyance, control, cryogenic and high-pressure GN2/GHe, water deluge, environmental conditioning.
• Review and approve major engineering artifacts. P&IDs, schematics, 3D models, component specs, network models, thermal analyses, and test procedures.
• Lead and participate in design reviews, PHAs, and formal risk evaluations. Own the safety posture of your systems.
• Manage the team's workload across concurrent programs and design phases. Hold the schedule, negotiate priorities with program management, protect the technical team from thrash.
• Grow the team. Recruit. Develop. Perform career conversations, performance reviews, and level calibrations. Build a bench with a mix of senior technical leaders and rising engineers.
• Partner with launch site operations, test engineering, procurement, and quality. The fluids team ships into an integrated system, and your team's outputs land on other people's dependency lists.
• Be present at the launch site during major activation and test milestones. Wrench when needed. Represent the team's technical position when it matters.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of professional experience in fluid systems design, analysis, and delivery, with strong depth in cryogenics or high-pressure systems.
• 3+ years of direct people management. Hiring, performance management, coaching, development. Formal management responsibility, not "led a project team."
• Demonstrated ability to independently review and approve complex fluid system engineering deliverables.
• Fluent in fluid network and thermal analysis tools (AFT Fathom / Arrow, Thermal Desktop, or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of ASME B31.3 applied to design and construction of process piping.
• Experience leading design reviews, PHAs, and formal safety processes.
• Comfortable in a hardware delivery environment with 3D CAD, configuration management, and change control.
• US citizen, national, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee. Ability to satisfy ITAR requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in ME, AE, or a related field.
• Launch vehicle GSE or launch site infrastructure background. Direct pad experience is a strong plus.
• Hands-on commissioning or sustained operation of cryogenic ground systems in an operational launch or engine test environment.
• Prior experience scaling an engineering team during a high-growth program phase. Doubling headcount without breaking technical rigor is a specific and learnable skill.
• Deep familiarity with precision cleaning specifications, material compatibility for LOX/LH2/LCH4, and passivation of stainless steel.
• Working knowledge of marine and coastal corrosion mitigation (materials selection, coatings, cathodic protection).
• Experience partnering directly with launch site operations and test crews. Comfort in an environment where your designs get used by people who will tell you exactly what does not work.

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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

• Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check
• Required for Certain Job Profiles:  Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation
• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

Benefits

• Benefits include:  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%, and an 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 benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on “Know Your Rights,” please see here.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.