Principal Technical Lead Engineer, Rocket Engine Avionics & Control Systems

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We are 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 the Blue Origin Engines business unit, where our focus is the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of engines and propulsion systems. Built for multiple uses, our family of engines is powering the next generation of rockets for commercial, civil, national security, and human spaceflight.

This position resides within the Avionics & Control Products (ACP) organization, part of the Engine Business Unit. As a Principal Technical Lead Engineer for Rocket Engine Avionics & Control Systems, you will serve as the primary technical authority for all avionics systems within a specific rocket engine program. In this role you will define and drive the technical architecture, own the avionics system technical baseline for your assigned engine, lead design reviews with full technical approval authority, and ensure all avionics and control system deliverables are executed to the highest standards of safety, performance, and reliability.

The successful candidate is a seasoned technical leader and recognized expert in avionics and control systems. Your effectiveness stems from four integrated competency areas:
Technical Expertise, Technical Leadership, People & Team Dynamics, and Strategic Vision & Organizational Impact. You hold yourself and your teams to the highest standards of engineering rigor.

There is no "standard day" for this role. You will lead a multi‑disciplinary engineering team across all engineering development phases, from customer use case elicitation to full‑scale hot‑fire test and flight operations. On any given day you may be architecting a new generation engine control system, leading a failure review board, reviewing a control algorithm for stability margins, driving interface negotiations with vehicle teams, or mentoring a group of engineers through a challenging systems integration challenge.

Your breadth of expertise and technical judgment are the constant that ties it all together.

• Own the avionics and control system technical baseline for the assigned rocket engine program; define and drive the technical vision, architecture, and long‑term engineering roadmap for that program's avionics and control systems.
• Lead decomposition and allocation of engine‑specific avionics requirements; establish and maintain system‑level requirements, interface control documents, and design standards for avionics and engine control subsystems.
• Lead all design reviews for the assigned engine avionics systems with full technical approval authority; participate as a non‑advocate reviewer for cross‑program architectural decisions.
• Identify, characterize, and drive resolution of complex system‑level technical risks across multiple concurrent development programs.
• Provide technical oversight and direction for the integration of avionics hardware, software, control algorithms, sensors, affectors, and harnessing into test facilities and onto rocket engines.
• Develop and maintain model‑based design frameworks, simulation environments, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) test strategies to accelerate verification and validation.
• Collaborate with program leadership, chief engineers, and functional managers to align technical execution with cost, schedule, and mission objectives.
• Champion engineering best practices, design criteria, and lessons learned across the ACP organization.
• Lead identification, assessment, and mitigation of technical risks across the assigned engine avionics system; drive technology maturation and identify emerging technology opportunities within the engine avionics team.
• Mentor and develop engineers at all levels; actively contribute to a culture of technical excellence, psychological safety, and continuous learning.
• Support and provide technical oversight during critical test campaigns and flight operations, both on‑site and remotely.
• Part…