Engines Project Engineer III, Turbomachinery

Posted:
10/8/2024, 5:00:00 PM

Location(s):
Huntsville, Alabama, United States ⋅ Texas, United States ⋅ Van Horn, Texas, United States ⋅ Alabama, United States ⋅ Seattle, Washington, United States ⋅ Washington, United States

Experience Level(s):
Mid Level ⋅ Senior

Field(s):
Mechanical Engineering

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 diverse team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!  

This role is part of the Blue Origin Engines business unit, where our focus is the design, development, manufacturing and testing of engines and propulsion systems. Built for multiple uses, our family of engines is powering the next generation of rockets for commercial, civil, national security and human spaceflight. 

As part of a hardworking team of diverse engineers, you will work at the intersection of program management, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and test operations, improving team effectiveness and coordination, and ensuring that the right people are working together to solve problems and deliver results on time. Assignments can range from supporting procurement activities to component development and testing coordination. In early project phases, you may define project scope and schedule to achieve overall program goals and component requirements. In later phases, you will coordinate internal and external stakeholders, manage changes, resolve unexpected problems in support of engine or subsystem builds, and support subsequent integration into test facilities and launch vehicles, and test activities. 

 

As a Project Engineer within the Engines Design Office, you will lead a passionate team of contributors and experts serving an engine program’s Turbomachinery Integrated Product Team (IPT)In this role, you will partner with Blue Engines' design engineers and manufacturing engineers in developing and manufacturing engine turbopump and ancillary hardware. Potential hardware could include top level pump assemblies and sub-assembly components. In addition, you may establish and lead tiger teams, help prioritize/track non-conformances, coordinate test rationale and issue resolution, and serve as a liaison between the Program, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Test. You will contribute to driving design, manufacturing, test and production of engine components and assemblies, and help define and refine best practices to increase the efficiency of our project execution and manufacturing approaches and processes. You may work or interface with vendors or small teams to define requirements and manage supplier developments for procuring hardware/tooling and assemblies, including working with vendors and Blue through technical issues. As a Project Engineer and primary point of contact, you must enjoy solving communication and organizational problems, earning trust, and improving the overall performance of all teams involved. We are seeking a self-motivated and highly organized individual who can work with minimal direction and coordinate teams in the successful execution of engineering integration activities. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable spaceflight. 

 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

  • Develop and/or maintain project plans to deliver turbomachinery hardware and sub-assemblies in support of development, qualification and flight hardware, and test 

  • Develop, manage and report progress on the team’s scope, schedule, cost, and resource & hardware plans

  • Manage, prioritize, and report progress of engineering release, assembly, acceptance testing, work orders, production control and work center activities 

  • Create and manage line of balance for development hardware and tooling 

  • Manage and maintain a hardware usage log; active tracking of location, usage history, maintenance/rework history, and life of top-level component hardware 

  • Partner with cross-functional teams to develop detailed procedures and establish product roadmaps 

  • Assess programmatic impact of engineering change requests 

  • Coordinate and drive engineering changes with upstream and downstream stakeholders 

  • Review procurement plans for sourced parts; verify compliance to scope of work and IPT budget  

  • Coordinate with procurement, internal and external stakeholders to ensure that hardware/tooling priorities are well understood and are actively managed to support need dates 

  • Manage external vendors and lead technical discussions 

  • Respond to unexpected changes to ensure design/manufacturing/build activities stay on schedule, on budget, and are completed with high-quality 

  • Identify and mitigate risks, including removal of blockers or investigation and escalation of issues 

  • Develop recovery strategies when non-conformances or other escapes are identified 

  • Identify schedule-critical hardware, equipment, people, and facilities; resolve constraints 

  • Develop and report key project metrics 

  • Manage and maintain a hardware usage log; active tracking of location, usage history, maintenance/rework history, and life of integration hardware 

  • Lead build pedigree reviews post builds, ensuring hardware matches design and configuration intent and all open work is properly identified 

 

Minimum Qualifications: 

  • Passion for Blue Origin’s mission: Millions of people living and working in space! 

  • B.S. Degree in Engineering 

  • 5+ years of experience in the aerospace industry (space or aviation), including pump or turbine component fabrication, precision assembly, and/or testing using a variety of methods, techniques, and materials 

  • Experience in serving as a Project Engineer or Project Manager 

  • Working knowledge of configuration management principles and practices 

  • Possess high attention to detail and strong organizational/coordination skills 

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills 

  • Strong aptitude for troubleshooting and quick thinking to keep the project moving forward 

  • Demonstrated ability to build trusting and effective working relationships that improve team performance and deliver results 

  • Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion 

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.  

 

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • M.S. Degree in Engineering Experience with complex component development & manufacturing 

  • Experience with design, test, and manufacturing of Turbomachinery and/or Boost Pump 

  • Experience implementing, customizing or improving configuration management systems in a development engineering environment 

  • Experience with creating tools to improve documentation, visibility, and tracking of scope of work and forecasted work 

  • Experience leading a small technical team 

  • Experience in Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA)

  • Selected candidate must be able to travel domestically up to 25% of the year.


 

Compensation Range for:

WA applicants is $120,060.00-$168,084.00

Other site ranges may differ

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

Inclusivity 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 a diverse, inclusive, and 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.

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.

Paid Time Off:  Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

Discretionary bonus: Bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results.

Eligibility for benefits varies by role type, please check with your recruiter for a comprehensive list of the benefits available for this role.

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, diverse, 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, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. 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, gender, 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 “EEO Is the Law,” 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].

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