Electric Propulsion Engineer III - Propellant Feed System

Application close date:

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! 

As a member of the TeraWave propulsion team, you will play a foundational role in the development of the Hall thruster-based propulsion systems that maneuver the TeraWave constellation satellites as well as the propulsion team itself. TeraWave is a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations.

As a Propulsion Engineer III, you will support the development of the propulsion system’s fluid management system from concept to production. You will own the technical design, product requirements, concept of operations, and maturation plans for the fluid system from the high-pressure propellant tank to the low pressure inlets of the Hall thruster. You will provide technical guidance and requirements for propulsion team members to ensure design, test, and build efforts are aligned with development of a high-quality Hall thruster-based propulsion system that can be produced at high rates and low costs.

Successful candidates will utilize their experience in propellant feed system development and production to complete technological development that will enable high-rate production as well as use that experience to lead and mentor junior team members. A preferred candidate will have experience in electric propulsion system development and production at the system-level with working knowledge of the interfaces to surrounding subsystems such as the power processing unit, the thruster including associated vehicle level activities such as propellant filling operations.

If you share our passion for propulsion system development and testing, thrive in a dynamic startup environment, excel on integrated cross-functional teams of broad individuals, are experienced and skilled in several relevant areas listed below, continuously seek out opportunities to learn and improve, and do not allow title or job description to limit the depth or breadth of your contributions, then we would love to hear from you.

• Relocation provided
• Travel expected up to 25% of the time

• Executes and supports development of the overall plan for the development of a low-cost and highly produceable Hall thruster propulsion system fluid storage and feed system.
• Plans and leads initiatives in support of the fluid system  technology definition and development.
• Responsible for the overall design architecture of a fluid system, fill plan, and interfaces.
• Provides product definition and requirements for mechanical design, test, and manufacturing propulsion team members.
• Develops fluid system verification and validation test and analysis plans.
• Carries out design trade studies to inform on the development of the fluid system and its technology.
• Collaborates with other subsystem team members, in particular thruster and power electronics engineers, for the development of other propulsion system components
• Collaborates with SW and vehicle teams to ensure consistency in concept of operations for the propulsion system in ground test and in flight.
• Collaborates with mechanical, manufacturing, and test teams and supports fluid system design/test/manufacturing reviews with technical insight on  operation and design considerations.
• Leads technical definition and requirements of fluid system high pressure test and production operations including propellant filling operations and proof testing.
• Leads continuous improvements and optimization efforts of the propulsion system throughout development and production.
• Conduct and draw conclusions from development testing in support of the propulsion system’s iterative design, build, and test loop.
• Technical contributions to the growth of the team through assisting in hiring, identifying team skill gaps, and mentoring junior team members.
• Design, procure, assemble, and operate propulsion development test facilities for system and subsystem-level tests.
• Lead root cause investigations and resolve non-conformances related to the fluid system production and/or performance.

• Minimum of a master’s degree in engineering or equivalent technical field.
• 5+ years of related experience (including graduate work) in the design, development, and flight of electric propulsion systems, and at least 3 years specifically related to electric propulsion fluid systems.
• Functional knowledge of common fluid system test equipment (power supplies, data acquisition systems, pump systems, leak detection equipment, blast shields etc.) and test SW used to control, automate, and monitor their use (Python, LabView, Grafana, TestStand, etc.)
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, engineering industry standards, and technical requirements.
• Ability to perform data analysis and reduction and present technical information in a clear and compelling visual format.
• Proven experience in the propulsion system development lifecycle.
• Strong safety demeanor and experience, including hands-on experience planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations.
• An understanding of low-cost and high-rate manufacturing and acceptance testing
• Experience conducting thermal, vibration, shock, and/or vacuum testing on flight hardware in accordance with MIL-STD-810, SMC-S-016, and MIL-STD-1540.
• Excellent verbal, written, and graphical communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.

• Successful candidates in this role typically have 10+ years in the design, development, and flight of electric propulsion systems
• Experience supporting propellant filling operations of flight vehicles.
• Working understanding of vehicle interactions and impacts of operating a Hall thruster in flight.
• Experience with analytical and scripting tools: MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, or C++.
• Leadership or management experience as well as a history of mentoring.
• Ph.D in a field and with a thesis topic relevant to the development of propulsion systems or electric propulsion fluid systems.

Compensation Range for:

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.