Senior Operations Training Engineer (TS/SCI Required) - Blue Ring

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 National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

This role is part of the Blue National Security business unit, which is pioneering the development, manufacturing, and operation of Blue Ring, a groundbreaking space-mobility platform that unlocks unparalleled access to any orbit and the freedom to maneuver between orbits at will. With Blue Ring, our customers are empowered to go anywhere in Earth, cislunar, or interplanetary orbit domains, redefine mission flexibility, and pursue bold new concepts that were once beyond reach. If you’re energized by the idea of working with a platform capable of enabling missions without compromise, this is your moment to make history with us.

As a Senior Training Engineer, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams spanning both space and ground segments to ensure the people flying Blue Ring spacecraft are trained, certified, and ready before launch. You’ll play a key role in designing curriculum, building and running exercises and mission rehearsals, and evaluating and certifying operators. Your expertise and initiative will directly enable Blue Origin to deliver and sustain next-generation space capabilities for a diverse set of customers.

Join us in enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit earth - passion for our mission is required!

Special Mentions

• Based at Reston, VA or Denver, CO office. Relocation provided.
• Travel expected up to 20% of the time to support training events, rehearsals, and working sessions.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Own one or more Blue Ring training areas end to end, such as a console position’s certification flow, the anomaly response curriculum, or a mission’s rehearsal campaign, from task analysis through final evaluation.
• Build training with a systematic instructional design process (ADDIE or equivalent), covering job and task analysis, learning objectives, lesson plans, evaluation criteria, and the hands-on events that tie them together.
• Write and run the simulation scenarios that get a team ready to fly, including nominal timelines, subsystem failures, ground segment outages, and compound anomalies that force real decisions on console.
• Serve as simulation supervisor and lead instructor for integrated exercises and mission rehearsals, then run the debrief and turn the findings into training updates and procedure change requests.
• Evaluate operator proficiency and currency through written, practical, and on-console evaluations. Recommend certification and decertification, and build remedial and contingency training when an operator falls short.
• Define and maintain certification flows and training records in our training management system, and report team readiness to mission leadership ahead of mission readiness reviews.
• Define requirements for training simulators and other training assets (software simulators, hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop test beds, malfunction injection, scenario scripting), and work with the simulation and ground software teams to get them built and validated.
• Work with flight software, GNC, power, propulsion, communications, ground systems, and payload engineers to keep training content technically correct as the vehicle and the ops products change.
• Train the wider mission team as needed, including integration and test, engineering support, launch services, and payload customers. Mentor junior training engineers and set the standards for lesson quality and evaluation consistency across the training team.
• Foster continuous improvement by tracking training effectiveness and feeding lessons-learned from rehearsals and on-orbit operations back into the curriculum.

Minimum Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI Security Clearance.

• B.S. in Engineering, Physical Science, Education, or related fields, or equivalent military training and experience.

• 8+ years of experience operating spacecraft or training spacecraft operators, including at least 4 years designing, delivering, and evaluating training for satellite operations crews.

• Hands-on experience running operator training in a simulator or on a live system, including building scenarios, injecting failures, and evaluating crew response.

• Experience writing training course materials (lesson objectives and plans, evaluation criteria, hands-on training activities).

• Experience evaluating and certifying operators against a written standard.

• Working knowledge of spacecraft subsystems (GNC, power, propulsion, thermal, command and data handling, communications) and the ground segment, deep enough to write a credible failure scenario and judge the crew’s response to it.

• Strong facilitation and communication skills to lead technical training and debriefs.

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time to support training events, rehearsals, and working sessions. Frequency will fluctuate depending on phase of mission or concurrent missions.

• Ability to support varied workday hours. Training may be required off hours or in shifts to accommodate time zones and work schedules. On-call support may also be required.

• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.

• Ability to earn trust, build positive professional relationships, contribute to a culture of inclusion, and collaborate with individuals of diverse backgrounds to achieve mission success.

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Instructor qualification on an operational satellite system, for example as a Space Force crew instructor or formal training unit instructor.

• Standardization and Evaluation (Stan/Eval) evaluator experience on an operational satellite system, including administering initial and recurring qualification evaluations, grading crew performance against a written standard, and maintaining unit standards and checklists.

• Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School Weapons Instructor Course (space weapons officer) or an equivalent advanced instructor program, including experience training a unit’s instructors and planning, running, and debriefing large-scale exercises.

• Experience building or revising initial qualification, mission qualification, and continuation training syllabi, and managing crew qualification and currency across a unit.

• Experience as an operator, crew commander, or mission lead on a satellite system (communications, navigation, missile warning, space domain awareness, or orbital warfare).

• Experience planning and running exercises or multi-crew rehearsal campaigns with mission partners or external agencies.

• Experience developing training for maneuvering spacecraft, rendezvous and proximity operations, or hosted and separable payloads.

• M.S. in Engineering, Instructional Systems Design, or related fields.

• Experience with Training Management Systems.

• Experience defining requirements for and integrating simulators or other training assets, including malfunction modeling and scenario scripting.

• Proficiency with Python and/or command-and-control scripting languages.

• Experience working with virtualized Ground Software (e.g., Command & Control, Mission Planning, Flight Dynamics, Electronic Procedures, Software Simulators).

• Experience defining and tracking training effectiveness metrics and continuously improving training content over time.

 

Base Pay Range for:

VA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45
CO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90

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.