Engineer - Aerospace Systems Principal

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!  

As a member of the Blue Origin family of companies Honeybee Robotics has been at the forefront of robotics for over 40 years, establishing ourselves as pioneers in developing novel exploration systems for the most extreme planetary environments. At our Southern California location, we look to "Touch Life" by supporting planetary science, including every NASA Mars rover since Spirit and Opportunity. We aim to "Mine the Sky" through the development of practical In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) solutions. We search for technically brilliant individuals in engineering, software, and support fields who take ownership of their work, enjoy collaborating in teams, and have a laser focus on the details that drive excellence.

Principal Systems Engineer

Honeybee Robotics | Exploration Systems (BNS-EX) Location: Pasadena, CA

About Honeybee Robotics

Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, is a pioneering force in the development of robotic systems for space exploration. Operating within Blue Origin's Exploration Systems (BNS-EX) business team, Honeybee engineers design, build, and test novel spacecraft and robotic systems that push the boundaries of planetary exploration — from lunar and Martian surface missions to deep-space science instruments. Our teams are small, fast-moving, and technically elite, delivering flight-ready hardware on lean schedules for some of the most ambitious missions in the industry. We build things that go to space and work.

Job Overview

Honeybee Robotics is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority and project technical lead on exploratory spacecraft programs. In this role, you will own projects through the full systems engineering lifecycle — from mission concept and requirements decomposition through integration, verification, and delivery — for complex, first-of-their-kind robotic spacecraft. You will provide expert technical leadership across multi-disciplinary teams, set the systems engineering direction for your programs, and serve as a primary technical interface to customers and mission stakeholders. Beyond program execution, you will own initiatives to create and improve project-level and strategic business processes, driving the evolution of how Honeybee's systems engineering organization operates, scales, and delivers.

This is an on-site role. You will lead by doing — authoring verification plans, driving trade studies, managing interfaces, and working on the integration floor alongside your team. You will also be a mentor and force multiplier, elevating the technical capability of the broader Honeybee systems engineering organization. The ideal candidate brings melds deep expertise and a solutions-focused mindset to lead teams through complex issues with intention and focus.

Responsibilities & Planned Tasks

• Lead a small, dynamic, multi-disciplinary project team as the technical project lead, responsible for delivering the technical product to the customer on a tight deadline with limited resources — driving focus, removing blockers, and maintaining team cadence from kickoff through delivery.
• Partner with program managers to actively manage the trade-space between technical requirements, schedule, and budget; provide credible, data-driven inputs to program planning.

• Lead anomaly investigations, root cause analyses, and recovery planning for complex system-level failures during integration, test, and operations.

• Translate mission objectives into a verifiable and pragmatic system architecture, setting technical direction for novel applications with limited precedent and programmatic resources.
• Own system-level requirements, technical margins, and associated command media throughout the full project lifecycle — formulating, decomposing, allocating, and managing changes with rigor and traceability.

• Act as the primary technical interface to the customer — translating evolving mission needs into verifiable requirements while proactively assessing and negotiating the impact of changes with stakeholders.

• Plan and develop comprehensive verification methods, events, and campaigns — from breadboard and hardware-in-the-loop testing through environmental qualification and acceptance
• Champion the Honeybee’s Quality Management System (QMS) and enforce rigorous, efficient peer reviews of all critical designs, analyses, and test plans across the business.

• Provide mentoring and technical leadership to engineers across Honeybee, fostering growth through direct feedback, design reviews, and stretch assignments.
• Own technical direction for systems engineering processes, tools, and standards at the program and organizational level; develop and champion best practices across Honeybee's SE discipline.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field.
• 20+ years of experience in the design, development, and launch of aerospace systems, with a preference for robotic spacecraft experience.
• Proven track record of leading all aspects of an aerospace project from requirements definition through verification and delivery.
• Advanced professional expertise across the full SE development cycle: concept development, requirements, design, analysis, validation, integration, safety, configuration management, verification, and test.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and proficiency in trade study methods, including the ability to set frameworks for trading low-, medium-, and high-performance technical architectures
• Leadership or management background with a demonstrated history of mentoring and developing team members.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex technical data and negotiate with stakeholders on behalf of the organization.
• Demonstrated knowledge of NASA spaceflight standards and best practices.
• Familiarity with collaboration and systems engineering tools such as Confluence, JIRA, and JAMA.
• Experience serving as a primary technical interface to government or commercial spaceflight customers.
• 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

• Demonstrated ability to provide pragmatic solutions to novel and complex technical problems requiring ingenuity and flexibility.
• Experience with planetary surface missions, robotic spacecraft, or exploratory science instruments.
• Experience with the development and execution of spaceflight mission operations and associated systems.
• Experience leading or contributing to SE process improvement, tool development, or organizational capability-building initiatives.
• Familiarity with five or more related functional areas (e.g., structures, avionics, software, GNC, thermal, mechanisms).

Why Honeybee Robotics

At Honeybee, you won't spend your career on a single bolt of a single vehicle. You will own systems. You will see your work launch. You will work alongside some of the most talented and mission-driven engineers in the industry, building hardware that explores worlds beyond our own. If you are a systems engineer who leads with technical credibility, thrives in a fast-paced and resource-constrained environment, and wants to leave a mark on the history of space exploration — this is your role.

 

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $169,624.00 - $237,473.25

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 (CDL drivers only), 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.