Blue Ring Senior Ground Navigation Engineer

at  Blue Origin

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!
The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit, which is focused on development, manufacturing, and operation of satellite systems to address one of the most compelling challenges in spaceflight today: space mobility. Our space systems must perform vehicle navigation considering multiple propulsion system types (chemical and electric propulsion), multiple measurement sources (GPS and radiometric), and diverse destination regimes (geostationary and cislunar space). As part of a diverse and hardworking team of engineers, you will join our Astrodynamics and Trajectory Execution team as a Senior Ground Navigation Engineer. You will be an individual contributor and domain expert for ground-based orbit determination of our vehicle during algorithm development as well as flight operations.
You will be responsible for exemplifying standard methodologies, balanced technical judgment, and outstanding work ethic in a time-constrained environment. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Perform ground-based statistical orbit determination analysis of our design reference missions and upcoming Blue Ring flights.
• Perform detailed trade studies for the navigation performance of our vehicle under different operational assumptions.
• Develop navigation capabilities for implementation in our flight dynamics system. Support verification and validation of flight dynamics operational software, including:
• Lead all aspects of the completion of our orbit determination
• Ensure that the Monte toolkit is appropriately processing GPS and radiometric covariance when using realistic examples of data (GPS receiver and specific ground stations) on a Blue Ring mission.
• Perform Monte Carlo analysis of maneuver designs considering chemical and electric propulsion systems.
• Support the navigation process during live mission operations, performing orbital estimation, maneuver planning, and maneuver execution.
• Deliver results in accordance with Agile methodology of development.
• Present results and support gated reviews.

Minimum Qualifications:

• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• 7+ years of validated experience focused on mission design and navigation.
• Strong fundamentals in ground-based satellite navigation and statistical orbit determination.
• Basic fundamentals in orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, and trajectory optimization.
• Experience performing spacecraft navigation in flight operations.
• Experience in developing flight dynamics software.
• Applied experience in navigation tools such as Monte, STK/ODTK, FreeFlyer, or GMAT.
• Experience in at least one of the following languages: Julia, Python, C++, or MATLAB.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the mission design lifecycle from conceptualization through operational flight.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness and ability to acquire or renew Top Secret (TS) / Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance with Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with polygraph
• 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:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Active Top Secret (TS) / Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance with Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with polygraph.
• Applied expertise in ground-based satellite navigation and statistical orbit determination processes, including radiometric and GPS.
• Experience using the Monte software package.
• Experience with electric propulsion satellite missions and/or GPS commercial satellite missions.
• Experience in development of spacecraft through the full engineering lifecycle.
• Experience defining, planning, and documenting ConOps for spacecraft missions.
• Experience working on and effectively presenting with a distributed team.
• Experience with DevOps processes including configuration control, continuous development and deployment workflows, Agile methodologies, software code review.
• Previous experience with software development tooling such as Jira, git, Jenkins, Docker and at least one IDE.
• Recognized expert in the community through conference and/or peer reviewed articles.

Compensation Range for:
CA applicants is $167,088.00-$233,923.20;CO applicants is $153,636.00-$215,090.40;WA applicants is $167,088.00-$233,923.20
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.
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
.
California Applicant Privacy Notice
If you are a California resident, please reference the CA Applicant Privacy Notice
here

• Perform ground-based statistical orbit determination analysis of our design reference missions and upcoming Blue Ring flights.
• Perform detailed trade studies for the navigation performance of our vehicle under different operational assumptions.
• Develop navigation capabilities for implementation in our flight dynamics system. Support verification and validation of flight dynamics operational software, including:
• Lead all aspects of the completion of our orbit determination
• Ensure that the Monte toolkit is appropriately processing GPS and radiometric covariance when using realistic examples of data (GPS receiver and specific ground stations) on a Blue Ring mission.
• Perform Monte Carlo analysis of maneuver designs considering chemical and electric propulsion systems.
• Support the navigation process during live mission operations, performing orbital estimation, maneuver planning, and maneuver execution.
• Deliver results in accordance with Agile methodology of development.
• Present results and support gated reviews