Senior Thermal Analyst - Reusable Vehicle Systems

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!

This role supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable. As a Senior Thermal Analyst within the Reusable Vehicles and Technologies team, you will be at the forefront of ensuring the thermal integrity of New Glenn's most critical systems - from thermal protection systems (TPS) to vehicle components that must survive the extreme environments of launch, ascent, reentry, and recovery.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Perform detailed thermal analysis of Thermal Protection System (TPS) components, including design trade studies, sizing, and verification across all operational phases - ground, ascent, reentry, and recovery.
• Conduct thermal analysis of critical vehicle systems, subsystems, and components includingumbilicals, tank domes, aft skirts, and metal engine eyeball seals, spanning cryogenic to high-temperature environments.
• Develop, maintain, and validate
  
  Thermal DesktopandANSYSthermal models for component- and vehicle-level analysis.
• Lead and support thermal design reviews, analysis reviews, and verification activities throughout the product lifecycle
• Collaborate cross-functionally with structures, propulsion, materials, manufacturing, and test teams to ensure thermal designs meet performance and safety requirements.
• Develop and execute thermal test plans; correlate analytical models to test data and flight data.
• Author and review thermal databook, engineering reports, analysis memos, and technical documentation in support of drawing releases and design certification.
• Identify and drive resolution of thermal design risks and anomalies, providing clear technical recommendations to program leadership.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of thermal analysis processes, tools, and best practices within the team.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 5+ yearsof experience in thermal analysis within aerospace, launch vehicle, or spacecraft development programs.
• Demonstrated proficiency withANSYS(Mechanical, Fluent, or equivalent) for thermal and coupled thermal-structural analysis.
• Experience conducting thermal analysis ofTPS components and/or vehicle structural components in extreme thermal environments (cryogenic through high-heat reentry conditions).
• Strong understanding of heat transfer fundamentals: conduction, convection, radiation, and phase change.
• Knowledge of the analogy between heat and mass transfer, with the ability to adapt heat transfer correlations to mass and fluid transport calculations.
• Experience developing and documenting thermal analysis in support of design certification and qualification testing.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative, and cross-functional engineering environment.
• 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

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• Experience with thermal analysis ofreusable launch vehiclesystems, including reentry TPS, cryogenic propellant systems, or engine interface components.
• Familiarity withablative, ceramic tile, or flexible insulation TPSmaterials and their thermal performance characteristics.
• Experience with model correlationto test data and flight data, including uncertainty quantification.
• Proficiency with scripting or programming languages (Python, MATLAB) for analysis automation and data processing.
• Experience with 3D CAD tools(e.g., CREO, NX) for geometry import and thermal model development.
• Familiarity withCFD-derived aerothermal environments as inputs to thermal models.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Thermal Desktopfor thermal modeling and analysis.
• Knowledge ofAI/ML techniquesapplied to engineering analysis, such as surrogate modeling, design space exploration, or predictive thermal…