Sr. Mechanical Engineer, RF Payloads - TeraWave

Application close date:

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!  

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and packaging of that payload.

This is a mechanical role where thermal performance is a primary design driver rather than a downstream check. Active phased arrays concentrate significant power into a small area, in vacuum, inside a tightly packaged satellite — so how the hardware is mounted, clamped, and coupled to structure determines how much capacity the array can deliver and how long it lasts. The mechanical and thermal problems here are genuinely coupled: improving a heat path is usually also a structural question, and often a manufacturing one.

You will work these problems as the mechanical technical point of contact for RF payload hardware, holding the mechanical baseline and negotiating it across RF, ASIC, electrical, thermal, and spacecraft structures. This is a role with real technical authority over a defined scope, not a coordination seat.

Scale changes the answers. We are building a constellation, not a handful of exquisite payloads, so fastener count, panel construction, thermal interface application, and assembly sequence are evaluated against cost and cycle time as seriously as against structural margin. Manufacturability is treated as part of design, not a separate downstream activity — if you have been frustrated by a design that closed analytically but could not be built at rate, this is the role where that instinct is the job.

• Own the mechanical design and packaging of phased array antenna panels and RF payload assemblies, from architecture through detailed design, release, and production support.
• Drive thermal management strategy for high-power-density RF electronics — conduction paths, thermal interface materials, heat spreading, heat pipe integration, thermal energy storage, and radiator coupling — in close partnership with thermal analysis.
• Design PCBA mounting and retention approaches that simultaneously satisfy thermal preload, flatness, and structural strain requirements.
• Lead architecture and trade studies defining packaging approaches for RF payload hardware, and carry them to a documented, defensible recommendation.
• Perform and interpret structural and thermal analysis, including tolerance stack-ups, to validate designs; partner with specialty analysis groups on cross-cutting modeling.
• Own mechanical interface definition for RF payload units — envelope, mass, center of gravity, mounting and fastener interfaces — and drive it to maturity with responsible subsystem engineers.
• Support structural and thermal test campaigns, including test article definition, instrumentation interfaces, and correlating models to measured data.
• Serve as the mechanical technical point of contact for RF payload hardware, coordinating with RF, ASIC, electrical, thermal, spacecraft structures, and integration teams.
• Provide technical direction to suppliers and manufacturing partners on producibility, panel fabrication, and assembly processes.
• Present technical content and recommendations at program design reviews and product baseline reviews.
• Mentor engineers on RF payload packaging and thermal-mechanical design practice, and help build that capability across the mechanical discipline group.
• Contribute to the mechanical design standards and review practices the program will run on — much of this is still being established.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in mechanical design and packaging of complex electronic hardware.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD tools for detailed part and large-assembly modeling.
• Experience performing structural and thermal analysis using analytical methods or finite element tools.
• Demonstrated experience with thermal management of high-power-density electronics, including conduction path design, heat sinking, and thermal interface material selection and application.
• Experience applying GD&T and engineering drawing standards, including ASME Y14.5.
• Experience with PLM and configuration management systems such as Windchill or Teamcenter.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present and defend technical positions to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to operate effectively with requirements still in flux, and the judgment to make design decisions that hold up as they firm.

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• Phased array mechanical integration, including panel-level packaging, antenna-in-package integration, beamforming and front-end module thermal design, and tile or panel array construction.
• Transient and cycled thermal design, including thermal mass sizing, thermal energy storage integration, and thermal fatigue life assessment.
• Heat pipe integration into structural hardware, and experience with lightweight structural panel design incorporating embedded thermal hardware.
• Experience packaging electronics for space environments, including thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, radiation, and outgassing and materials constraints.
• Experience with spacecraft-level thermal architecture, including radiator sizing, coatings, MLI, and radiative coupling.
• Experience correlating thermal or structural models to test data.
• Design for high-rate production, from aerospace, automotive, or high-volume electronics, with a record of taking cost and cycle time out of a design across generations.
• Experience leading DFM/DFT efforts with contract manufacturers or PCB fabricators for RF hardware.
• Experience mentoring engineers and establishing design or analysis practice on a new program or team.

Base Pay Range for:

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.