Sr GN&C Hardware Engineer - Lunar Permanence

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.

As part of a hardworking team of multi-disciplinary engineers, you will assist in the development and/or procurement of guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) sensor hardware and systems for navigation, landing, rendezvous, proximity operations and docking, and other applications for Blue Origin’s spacecraft. You will participate in the full life cycle of these systems from early concepts to product prototypes to qualified and deployed flight hardware.

This is an individual contributor, responsible for engaging with cross-discipline engineers and supporting the development, procurement, integration, and test of GN&C sensors, actuators, associated electronics, and related systems.

You will work closely with the broader GN&C team to seamlessly integrate these components with the rest of the GN&C flight software and vehicle subsystems. This role is deeply interdisciplinary and requires coordination among a group of internal stakeholders, adjacent integrated product teams, and suppliers. Periodic travel to Lunar Plant 1 in Florida will be required (unless based out of Florida).

Your leadership and technical contributions will enable flight of state-of-the-art aerospace vehicles and missions.

• Collaborate in the development of navigation and sensor hardware requirements from system-level specifications with flow-downs to subsystem and component levels, and companion verification methods
• Actively participate in the design, development, integration, testing, and overall life‑cycle management of GN&C hardware components and systems
• Design and coordinate sensor architecture and hardware configurations through trade studies and sensor performance trade‑offs
• Perform and guide testing and analysis of sensor hardware, including laboratory and flight testing, shock/vibration, thermal vacuum, and radiation environments, to validate top‑level system specifications and requirements and establish sensor performance specifications
• Support the design, procurement, fabrication, test and characterization of prototype hardware
• Support the development and execution of component‑level test programs, including sensor characterization, sensor modeling, and integrated on‑vehicle testing
• Support hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, on‑vehicle functional testing, and flight testing
• Routinely collaborate with manufacturing operations, supply chain, and other teams within the company to ensure smooth execution of development, integration, and test efforts
• Define, deploy, and enhance technical and programmatic processes as needed to ensure efficient team operations and timely deliverables in support of ambitious program objectives

• B.S. in Physics, Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace engineering or related areas of study
• 8+ years of related experience with high‑reliability electro‑mechanical, electro‑optical, or RF sensors and components for harsh and/or highly regulated environments including space, military, or automotive industries
• Detailed knowledge of inertial measurement units (IMUs) and demonstrated experience with the procurement (or design) and integration into space vehicles
• Knowledge of multiple GN&C sensors, their related system components (inertial sensors, optical sensors, lenses, laser sources, RF or image processing electronics, etc.) and their characterization
• Demonstrated experience in the…