Propulsion Engineer III – Turbomachinery Verified today

About the Role

This position is part of the Blue Origin Engines business unit, which designs, develops, manufactures, and tests engines and propulsion systems for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight applications.

You will design the mechanical auxiliary and driveline systems that connect large-scale turbomachinery to the equipment it drives. You will own the design of shaft couplings, bearing integration, gear units, lubrication and seal support systems, and structural mounting. You will create and release the drawings and models that turn architecture into hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design of auxiliary and driveline systems supporting large-scale turbomachinery development and testing
• Design and develop shaft couplings, bearing housings and integration, speed-reduction gear units, bearing fluid lubrication systems, seal support systems, mounting and structural support systems from concept through hardware implementation and test
• Lead driveline architecture trades: rigid versus flexible coupling, direct drive versus intermediate/quill shaft with its own bearings versus a reduction gear unit; document decisions and rationale
• Create and release engineering drawings, 3D models, and specifications in CAD (NX or Creo) and PLM system (Windchill), applying GD&T per ASME Y14.5
• Perform and direct tolerance stack-ups, fit/clearance definition, and alignment analysis for the rotating-equipment train
• Integrate the bearing system into the driveline design in close collaboration with bearing subject-matter experts
• Serve as the prime mechanical-design interface to external vendors (coupling, bearing, gear-unit, and driven-equipment suppliers); own interface control documents, evaluate proposals, and drive technical alignment
• Interface with the core turbomachinery team on rotordynamics and bearing loads so that coupling, bearing, and shaft-train requirements are correctly captured and met
• Contribute to detailed trade studies that result in selecting optimal mission-suitable subsystem hardware
• Support hardware build, assembly, acceptance testing, alignment, and anomaly investigation; provide engineering dispositions for non-conforming hardware
• Develop and maintain design requirements and documentation; contribute technical artifacts to subsystem and program gated reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Minimum 5 years of experience in mechanical design of rotating equipment or drivetrain hardware (couplings, bearings, gear units, shaft systems, or comparable rotating-machinery mechanical systems)
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (NX, Creo, or equivalent) and engineering drawing release
• Working knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T, ASME Y14.5) and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Demonstrated ownership of hardware through at least one complete design, build, and test cycle
• Experience working in cross-disciplinary engineering teams
• Track record of taking ownership, showing resilience in the face of challenges, and consistently delivering results

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant industry experience
• Experience working in aerospace
• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• Experience designing high-speed shaft couplings (flexible disc/diaphragm, rigid, or intermediate/quill-shaft) for rotating-equipment trains
• Experience integrating journal and thrust bearings (tilting-pad and other fluid-film types) into rotating machinery
• Experience with speed-reduction gear units for high-speed rotating equipment (e.g., AGMA 6011/API 613 class gear drives)
• Experience with lubrication systems and seal support systems for rotating equipment
• Familiarity with applicable rotating-equipment industry standards (e.g., API 671 couplings, API 614 lubrication, API 670/684 machinery protection and rotordynamics)
• Rotordynamics literacy (lateral and torsional critical speeds, shaft-train coupling) sufficient to define driveline requirements
• Experience with structural mounting/support design and field alignment of rotating-equipment trains
• Mechanical design experience with rotating equipment in oil and gas, aerospace, or similar turbomachinery
• Demonstrated use of or genuine enthusiasm to adopt modern AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., LLM-based design/analysis/scripting assistants integrated into the daily development environment)
• Experience with LabVIEW and MATLAB

Compensation and Work Environment

Base pay range for WA applicants: $121,023.00 - $169,432.20. Other site ranges may differ.

Relocation provided. Travel expected up to 20% of the time.

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.

Background check required for all positions. Additional background checks may be required depending on role requirements and site access needs.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Basic and supplemental life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability
• 401(k) with company match of up to 5%
• Education Support Program
• Stock options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid time off: up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays
• Bonus eligibility based on role type and job level (not guaranteed)