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Senior Mission Systems Engineer - Blue Ring Verified today

Blue Origin · 2 Locations · Space Systems · first seen 2026-10-15
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About the Role

This position is part of Blue National Security, focused on launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. You will join a small team of Mission Systems Engineers working on NASA's Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN), a relay communications infrastructure providing data services between Mars-based users and Earth in support of NASA's civil exploration and science objectives.

You will define and mature the mission system by integrating ground systems and mission operations capability. You'll lead requirements, verification and validation, and interface definition efforts to ensure the ground and operations architecture meets mission objectives across significant light-time delays and long-duration operations.

Responsibilities

  • Identify, derive, develop, and maintain mission systems requirements with traceability and verification and validation approach
  • Define and maintain ground element and external interface requirements and interface control documents (ICDs), including user- and payload-facing interfaces
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across flight vehicle systems, ground software, mission operations, and payload/user customers
  • Define ground system and mission operations architectures enabling effective real-time and store-and-forward spacecraft and ground system operation
  • Plan and perform mission system product update cycles, integration and test activities, and validation exercises leading to operations training and mission readiness
  • Conduct testing of ground system functionality and measure performance against requirements
  • Perform flight software to ground system integration and test
  • Perform analysis to ensure operability across the space-ground system and support efforts to improve operability where justified
  • Ensure mission system requirements and interfaces align with applicable NASA and interoperability standards (e.g., CCSDS) for civil deep space missions

Minimum Qualifications

  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field
  • 8+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas:
    • Ground systems architecture in the context of spaceflight operations
    • Spacecraft operations: command and control, mission planning, flight dynamics
    • Requirements definition, verification, and validation of complex systems
    • Implementing CCSDS communications protocols and standards
  • Experience across a complex system lifecycle: requirement definition, design solution definition, implementation, integration, verification, validation, qualification, and operations
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with requirements management and traceability, preferably using DOORS Next Generation (DNG)
  • Experience developing and maintaining interface control documents (ICDs) for complex systems
  • Experience with NASA civil space programs and/or integrating U.S. Government agency (NASA, JPL) missions
  • Experience conducting end-to-end testing of large, complex systems
  • Familiarity with DTN, delay/disruption-tolerant architectures, or deep space operations concepts
  • Experience designing or operating spacecraft instruments and payloads
  • Experience developing, deploying, and maintaining software in a cloud computing environment such as AWS or Azure
  • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python
  • Experience with collaboration tools such as Confluence and JIRA
  • Familiarity with version control, preferably Git
  • Experience with configuration and product data management tools

Compensation

Base Pay Range:
VA applicants: $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
CO applicants: $144,179.00 - $201,849.90
Other site ranges may differ

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 (working at least 20 hours/week)
  • Up to 4 weeks paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours
  • Up to 14 company-paid holidays
  • Bonuses and benefits based on role type and job level (not guaranteed)

Requirements

Applicants 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. Blue's Standard Background Check is required for all positions.