Sr. Project Engineer - Launch Infrastructure

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!  

Blue Origin is building the next generation of orbital launch infrastructure, and several of our launch pads are in active design, construction, and site identification right now. This is a senior project engineering role for someone who wants to live on the owner's side of that work: anticipating where we'll need to launch five years out, shaping the pad into something we can actually build, and owning the delivery once the ground gets broken.

You'll bridge long-range strategic planning and tactical execution. On any given quarter you might be running a NEPA conversation with the Space Force, redlining a 60% civil submittal from an A&E, chasing a contractor on an RFI that's holding up concrete, and sketching the ROM for a pad we haven't picked a site for yet.

This is not a design-shop seat and it is not a construction-management seat. It's the seat that decides whether the pad gets built to intent, on schedule, in the right place. Those decisions do not get delegated up. They get made by you.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Identify and evaluate future launch and test site locations. Analyze company growth, vehicle roadmaps, and operational needs, and get infrastructure capacity ahead of demand rather than behind it
• Develop conceptual site layouts, master plans, and ROM cost estimates that account for utilities, civil site development, environmental constraints, and hazardous operations clearances
• Translate vehicle and operations requirements into actionable planning documents. Work directly with launch vehicle system architects and internal business units to define infrastructure needs on near, medium, and long horizons
• Own the full lifecycle of design and construction projects as the Blue owner. Write statements of work, drive A&E and construction contractors to scope and schedule, manage change orders, and deliver the project on budget
• Review and approve design deliverables, construction RFIs, and submittals. Hold the line on design intent and program requirements
• Coordinate environmental regulatory planning and compliance: NEPA assessments, Environmental Baseline Surveys, agency permitting
• Serve as the interface between internal stakeholders (mission ops, fluids, command and control) and external partners (A&E firms, construction contractors, Space Force, FAA, NASA, state agencies)
• Identify project risks and opportunities early, surface them, and drive them to closure. Communicate schedule and budget impacts honestly
• Communicate across the full stack. Executive leadership one hour, the field the next, in words that land in both rooms

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related discipline
• 8+ years of relevant engineering or project management experience
• 3+ years of relevant launch infrastructure, test facility, or land development experience
• Experience working with state or federal agencies (Space Force, FAA, NASA, DoD, or state-level counterparts) on permitting, land use, and development
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate sites for infrastructure feasibility: utilities, access, operational safety clearances
• Able to read and work from technical plans, drawings, specifications, and modeling applications
• Experience with project scoping, budgeting, and scheduling at both the day-to-day and overall construction-management level
• Familiarity with standard construction procedures, best practices, means and methods, and work safety standards
• Demonstrated ability to manage technically complex projects from concept through completion using independent judgment
• Strong verbal, written, and graphical communication
• Motivated self-starter with strong organizational skills, capable of managing multiple concurrent projects
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (current Green Card holder)
• Ability to obtain and maintain badging at government installations (Vandenberg SFB)
• Ability to perform hands-on field work in heat, cold, rain, tight quarters, or at heights

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience working at or with Vandenberg SFB, Western Range operations, or 30th Space Wing / Space Launch Delta 30 coordination
• Extensive experience with infrastructure requirements for space launch or test vehicle systems: ground support equipment, site civil, structural, and support facilities
• Experience identifying, assessing, and developing greenfield launch or test site locations
• Familiarity with hazardous operations siting requirements, explosive safety quantity-distance (ESQD) arcs, and operational safety clearance planning
• Familiarity with FAA commercial launch site regulations (14 CFR Part 420/450)
• Familiarity with NEPA and the federal environmental review process
• CAD and 3D modeling fluency
• Professional Engineer (PE) license

Base Pay Range for:

Other site ranges may differ

Culture 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 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.

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.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check
• Required for Certain Job Profiles:  Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation
• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

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.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off:  Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

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 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. 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, sex, 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 “Know Your Rights,” 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]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.