Mechanical Engineer III - Custom Precise Machinery

Job description

Application close date: Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed. 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! This role is part of Blue Origin Operations, which is comprised of Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. This includes Manufacturing and Supply Chain support across all Blue Origin facilities. This role supports the design, development, and sustainment of a family of advanced custom precision machines built entirely in-house at Blue Origin. These are not purchased tools with a service contract behind them — we architect them, build them, instrument them, break them, and make them production-worthy ourselves. Each system is a large-envelope, multi-axis, closed-loop precision platform, coordinating motion, thermal, fluid, and optical subsystems to hold micron-class positional accuracy— continuously, for weeks at a time, without operator intervention. The hardware these machines produce goes directly into flight. When a machine holds its tolerances, we fly a rocket. That is the whole equation, and it is unusually short. You will join a small, senior, hands-on team that owns its hardware end to end. The machines are in production today and the next-generation configuration is in active design, which means you will work both problems at once: keeping a live fleet at rate while architecting the platform of the future. There is no wall between design and the floor here — you will draw a mechanism, watch it get built, and stand next to it when it runs. Passion for our mission and vision is required. Special Mentions • Relocation provided • Interviews will include a technical assessment • On-site role — this hardware cannot be supported remotely - M-F AM ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Responsibilities include but are not limited to: • Own the mechanical design of multi-axis precision motion subsystems —dual-motor electronically-coupled axes, high-resolution linear-encoder feedback chains, precision vertical and horizontal lift stages, and traversing carriage mechanisms operating under continuous duty cycles. • Design and analyze mechanism assemblies including linkages, actuators, latches, sealing interfaces, docking and mating mechanisms, blade and wiper assemblies, hard-stop and over-travel protection, and cable-carrier routing for continuously flexing service loops • Diagnose and resolve position-dependent geometric error in large coupled-axis systems — squareness, yaw, droop, and thermal-growth effects — and develop the calibration and error-mapping methods that correct them • Participate in the entire design cycle of precision machine mechanisms: conceptual and detailed design, trade studies, structural analysis, development testing, qualification, and production release • Generate 3-D models, kinematic simulations, component drawings, assembly drawings, and interface control documents with application of GD&T per ASME Y14.5 • Perform tolerance stack-up analysis on precision assemblies where accumulated error directly consumes machine accuracy budget • Design and integrate mechanical interfaces to thermal and fluid subsystems — cooling loops, chillers, inert gas distribution, purge circuits, filtration, and sealed-volume containment • Own the mechanical side of cross-discipline integration with controls, electrical, and process engineering; these machines are split across independent controllers, and mechanism behavior cannot be understood from either domain alone • Create documentation for assembly, commissioning, and test of development and production hardware • Participate in subsystem- and machine-level testing including planning, execution, data reduction, and analysis • Perform and document root-cause analysis on field failures across an operating fleet, and drive the corrective design change through release • Develop component specifications, evaluate COTS versus custom solutions, and manage suppliers through fabrication and acceptance • Rapidly design and produce proof-of-concept hardware to retire risk on next-generation configurations • Support the retrofit and upgrade of fielded machines — designing change into hardware that is already in production, where downtime is measured against engine deliveries ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent • 5+ years of experience designing precision mechanical systems, industrial machinery, automation equipment, or aerospace mechanical system elements • Demonstrated experience designing multi-axis motion systems — gantries, stages, slides, or comparable servo-driven precision positioning hardware • Experience designing mechanisms such as linkages, actuators, latches, hinges, disconnect devices, or similar kinematic assemblies • Strong mechanical design, integration, and mechanism analysis skills using 3D modeling and simulation tools (CREO preferred) • Proficiency in Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (ASME Y14.5) and performing tolerance stacks • Working knowledge of mechanism loads analysis, free-body diagrams, and basic structural hand calculations • Working knowledge of fabrication and manufacturing processes, and of designing hardware that is buildable on a shop floor • Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot hardware in operation, not only on the screen • Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current