New Glenn Launch Recovery Engineer III

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! 

We are seeking a dynamic Flight Operations and Launch Safety Engineer to join our Launch Operations team at Blue Origin. In this role, you will lead the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of launch, landing, and recovery operations across Blue Origin’s programs. You will ensure that flight and ground risks are rigorously identified, analyzed, and mitigated, enabling safe, reliable, and repeatable operations for reusable launch systems. The ideal candidate is operations-focused, calm under pressure, and deeply committed to safety and mission success. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop procedures, real-time flight rules, and safety controls that protect our people, hardware, and environment while supporting an efficient launch cadence. Leveraging systems thinking, disciplined operations practices, and sound engineering judgment, you will help deliver on Blue Origin’s mission of building a road to space for the benefit of Earth. 

• Shifts: A | Mon-Fri (8am-4:30pm) 

• Location: Space Coast, FL  

• Relocation: Available  

• Plan, execute, and continuously improve flight, launch, landing, and recovery operations for Blue Origin vehicles and missions. 

• Develop and maintain operations products including procedures, checklists, flight rules, console user guides, playbooks, and contingency response plans. 

• Perform hazard identification, risk assessments, and launch safety analyses for flight and ground operations, ensuring risks are understood, communicated, and controlled. 

• Coordinate with systems engineering, vehicle design, ground systems, marine and aviation assets, test, mission management, and recovery teams to ensure operational readiness across the full mission lifecycle. 

• Define and validate operational requirements for flight and ground support equipment (GSE), including facilities, vehicles, vessels, communications, and recovery systems. 

• Support mission readiness activities, including simulations, rehearsals, readiness reviews, go/no-go criteria, and launch commit/abort decision processes. 

• Provide real-time operations support (e.g., console operations, field leadership, offshore/onshore coordination) throughout all phases of launch, flight, landing, and recovery. 

• Identify, plan, and execute hazardous operations in accordance with Blue Origin procedures and applicable regulations; lead and mentor technicians and operators in the field. 

• Lead or support anomaly response and post-flight investigations, including data review, root cause analysis, and development of corrective and preventive actions. 

• Ensure all operations comply with internal safety standards and external regulations (e.g., FAA/AST, range safety, OSHA, and maritime/aviation regulations as applicable). 

• Capture operational lessons learned and drive continuous improvement to enhance safety margins, reduce operational risk, increase reliability, and improve schedule and cost performance. 

• Develop domain expertise in one or more areas such as launch operations, range safety, mission control/flight console operations, offshore recovery, aviation operations, or ground systems operations, while maintaining a broad understanding of end-to-end mission needs. 

The Flight Operations & Launch Safety organization is at the center of Blue Origin’s mission execution. This team ensures that every test, launch, landing, and recovery is conducted safely, efficiently, and in compliance with program and regulatory requirements. We integrate across vehicle design, ground systems, marine and aviation assets, and mission management to translate engineering intent into executable operations.

By developing procedures, flight rules, safety controls, and real-time operational expertise, Flight Operations & Launch Safety enables our vehicles and teams to perform reliably in challenging environments—from launch pads and test ranges to offshore recovery zones. This work is critical to achieving reusable, high-cadence spaceflight and building a road to space for the benefit of Earth.

Within this organization, this role will have a strong focus on offshore recovery operations for New Glenn. In this context, you will:

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to influence flight and recovery designs, enabling efficient and effective recovery operations while evaluating new technologies for continuous improvement.

• Work as a core member of a specialized team defining offshore recovery operations, including ground support equipment (GSE), recovery vessel capabilities, and port operations for space hardware recovery.

• Lead the design, activation, and operation of recovery subsystems across multiple New Glenn (NG) flight programs, maintaining a strong focus on critical requirements and personnel safety.

• Coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams within the NG business unit to influence, enhance, and ensure the successful performance of the overall recovery architecture and subsystems.

• Analyze and troubleshoot real-time issues in a dynamic offshore environment related to recovery subsystems, implementing safe and effective solutions.

• Lead offshore recovery operations for assigned NG recovery missions.

• Apply experience designing and activating custom GSE to meet mission objectives.

• Use proficiency with CAD software to support the design, integration, and operation of recovery systems.

• Leverage experience in offshore salvage and advanced rigging practices to support complex recovery operations.

• Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university (other relevant technical fields may be considered). 

• 5+ years of experience in flight operations, test operations, range/launch safety, mission control, marine/aviation operations, or other high-consequence operational environments. 

• Demonstrated experience writing and executing technical procedures, checklists, or work instructions in English. 

• Proven track record planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations with a strong safety mindset. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead in ambiguous, time-critical environments, make sound decisions with incomplete data, and maintain composure under pressure. 

• Ability and willingness to support non-standard hours, shift work, and extended periods of on-site or field deployment during test, launch, and recovery campaigns. 

• Ability to work in field environments (e.g., launch sites, test ranges, offshore or remote locations) including use of PPE, climbing ladders/stairs, standing for extended periods, and working in varied weather conditions, as required by the role. 

• 8+ years of experience in launch operations, range safety, flight test, mission control, marine recovery, aviation operations, or similar mission-critical environments. 

• Understanding of product lifecycle management for complex systems, including gated reviews, verification and validation, and configuration control. 

• Experience operating or troubleshooting remote or autonomous systems such as remote-operated vehicles, ground control systems, or telemetry and command systems. 

• Familiarity with relevant regulations and standards, including FAA/AST launch and reentry regulations and range safety practices, maritime regulations (e.g., USCG CFRs, ABS, DNV) where applicable, and OSHA or other industrial safety standards. 

• Experience with test planning and execution, including defining objectives, writing test plans and procedures, conducting tests, and documenting results. 

• Hands-on experience with hazardous systems such as high-pressure gas, hydraulic systems, cryogenic propellants, or energetic systems. 

• Experience conducting hazard analyses, FMEA/FMECA, fault tree analysis, or quantitative risk assessments for complex operations. 

• Proficiency with business and engineering tools such as MS Office and product lifecycle management (PLM) or requirements management systems (e.g., Windchill). 

• For roles supporting offshore recovery operations, eligibility and willingness to obtain and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) and Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and to work on maritime vessels for extended periods. 

• Prior experience in aerospace, defense, marine, or aviation industries, particularly in reusable or high-availability systems. 

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.