Senior Thermal Systems Engineer

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

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!  

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers and related products. To further Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, we are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface.

In this position, you will work directly with NASA as part of the Human Landing System (HLS) Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) program. You will play a key role in developing the systems that will return humans to the Moon and extend human presence permanently beyond the bounds of Earth! We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to build the road to space. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Define and decompose system-level requirements into actionable specifications within the Thermal subsystem domain.
• Develop and maintain interface control documents (ICDs) to ensure subsystem compatibility and integration fidelity.
• Conduct system analysis and trade studies to optimize thermal subsystem performance, reliability, and cost across mission profiles.
• Drive verification and validation planning, including environmental testing, functional checks, and mission simulations.
• Lead passive hardware design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR) and ensure technical artifacts meet quality and compliance standards.
• Support integration, test, and launch operations, including anomaly resolution and post-launch analysis.
• Support schedule management of subsystem systems engineering efforts and products, team coordination, and support make vs buy decisions, hardware procurement, and vendor management
• Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ownership of passive thermal artifacts such as the master equipment list, power equipment list, safety products and other documents
• Ensuring alignment and synchronization of thermal subsystem analysis data with interfacing subsystems such as Electrical Power, Liquids, Gas and GNC.
• Reviewing system level CONOPS information and distilling into useable datasets for consumption by the thermal analysis and passive thermal hardware teams
• Verifying compliance of designs against documented hardware temperature limits

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in engineering and 10+ years of related experience.
• Knowledge of systems engineering practices, integration processes, design for manufacturing, and quality control 
• Proven expertise in requirement analysis, interface definition, and component and system-level verification and validation.
• Demonstrated experience with flight integration and environmental qualification (thermal, vibration, etc.).
• Strong understanding of subsystems and their thermal implications across the mission lifecycle.
• Background in passive thermal control hardware or thermal analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with spacecraft thermal control hardware design and development
• Ability to perform simple thermal assessments via first principles/hand calculations
• Experience with software tools such as DOORS, Jama, MATLAB, Cameo, Thermal Desktop etc. design and analysis tools.  
• Demonstrated experience working interface control

Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S. degree in engineering and/or 14+ years of related experience.
• Strong communication skills, with an ability to quickly build consensus among stakeholders.
• Experience leading programs from concept through launch and operations.
• Hands-on experience with satellite ground systems and mission operations.
• Experience with data analysis (Matlab, Excel, Winplot, etc.), and scripting (bash, sh, Python, etc.) tools 
• Experience evaluating make/buy decisions
• Experience managing and mentoring engineering teams, including coaching, technical guidance, and cross-functional coordination.
• Expertise in passive thermal control hardware, with a proven track record of flight hardware delivery
• Experience in leading sub-assembly and/or system level thermal balance tests and post-test design correlation and validation

 

Base Pay Range for:

CO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90
WA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45

Other site ranges may differ

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 (CDL drivers only), 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 EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.