Ground Systems Environmental Control Systems Engineer Verified today

About the Role

As an Environmental Control Systems (ECS) Design Engineer, you will be a key contributor to the development of launch infrastructure for New Glenn, our reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. You will design, analyze, and test the critical environmental control systems that thermally condition, purge, and inert vehicle compartments, requiring precision temperature management and atmospheric control.

ECS at Blue Origin represents high-precision aerospace HVAC: systems that deliver conditioned air or gaseous nitrogen (GN2) to open rocket volumes with tight control over temperature, humidity, dew point, and flow rate. These systems are essential to protecting sensitive vehicle hardware during ground operations, safeguarding against condensation, corrosion, and hazardous atmospheres, and maintaining thermal environments necessary for proper vehicle function and personnel safety.

This is a hands-on engineering role requiring a strong foundation in thermodynamics, psychrometrics, and fluid dynamics. You will apply technical expertise to solve complex environmental conditioning challenges and deliver robust, reliable hardware designs.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop ECS from initial concept and requirements through detailed design, analysis, and release, including conditioned air supply systems, GN2 inerting and purge systems, ducting networks, and associated controls.
• Perform detailed thermal, psychrometric, and fluid analyses to characterize heat loads, moisture ingress, condensation risk, and purge effectiveness across vehicle compartments and ground enclosures.
• Develop and size ECS components including heat exchangers, chillers, heaters, air handlers, blowers/fans, pressure regulators, flow control valves, and distribution ducting.
• Create and release engineering artifacts including system schematics, P&IDs, 3D models, component specifications, interface control documents, and test procedures.
• Define and analyze GN2 inerting strategies for hazardous enclosures, including purge sequencing, flow rates, and oxygen concentration requirements.
• Collaborate closely with vehicle design, propulsion, avionics, launch operations, and safety teams to define environmental requirements and ensure ECS integration compatibility.
• Support the planning and execution of system-level tests, acquiring and analyzing data to verify thermal and atmospheric performance against requirements.
• Participate in and provide technical input for design reviews and Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) to ensure system safety, particularly in environments involving cryogenic propellants, flammable gases, or oxygen-deficient atmospheres.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 5 or more years of professional experience in HVAC, environmental control, fluid, or thermal system design and analysis.
• Demonstrated understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and psychrometrics as applied to environmental conditioning systems.
• Experience creating and interpreting Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) and ducting/flow schematics.
• Proficiency with industry-standard analysis tools for fluid network or thermal modeling (e.g., AFT Fathom/Arrow, GFSSP, EES, Sinda/Fluint, Thermal Desktop, or similar).
• Experience with 3D CAD software (Creo, SolidWorks, or similar) and engineering configuration management.
• Knowledge of ECS and HVAC components including valves, regulators, heat exchangers, blowers, dampers, and instrumentation.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with GN2 inerting, purging, or blanketing systems in aerospace, semiconductor, or industrial applications.
• Background in aerospace or launch vehicle ground support equipment (GSE) design and operations.
• Hands-on experience with the assembly, troubleshooting, and testing of HVAC or fluid system hardware.
• Familiarity with cryogenic environments and the thermal conditioning challenges they introduce (e.g., managing moisture and condensation near LOX/LH2 systems).
• Working knowledge of relevant codes and standards such as ASHRAE, ASME B31.3, or NFPA as applied to ECS design.
• Experience with oxygen deficiency hazard (ODH) analysis and GN2 system safety requirements.
• Experience with test instrumentation, data acquisition, and environmental monitoring sensors (temperature, humidity, dew point, oxygen concentration).

Employment Requirements

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin 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.

All positions require Blue's Standard Background Check. Certain roles may require additional background checks or certifications depending on site access requirements.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability
• 401(k) with company match up to 5%
• Education Support Program
• Stock options for all regular employees (20+ hours/week)
• Paid time off: up to 4 weeks per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Performance bonuses based on role type and job level (eligibility and amounts not guaranteed)