{"id":3694951,"url":"https://alion.io/job/blue-origin-senior-mission-operations-engineer","title":"Senior Mission Operations Engineer","company":{"id":3698,"name":"Blue Origin","domain":"blueorigin.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/blueorigin","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":91,"open_postings":247,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.368,"repost_share":0.004,"time_to_fill_p50_days":46,"computed_at":"2026-11-08T05:47:12Z"}},"role":"Aerospace","role_family":"Aerospace","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Reston, United States","Denver, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":true,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-02","last_verified_at":"2026-11-08T10:21:53Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":7,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":7},"description":"Application close date:\nApplications 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!\nThis 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, 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.\nAs a Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you will serve as the Mission Operations Lead for a deep space mission that will cruise to Mars, insert into orbit, and then serve for years as a high-rate relay carrying data between assets at Mars and Earth. You will lead small teams of mission operations engineers in accomplishing these tasks throughout the program lifecycle, while also collaborating extensively with engineers from across the space and ground segments. The ideal candidate has operated a spacecraft beyond Earth orbit, is a systems thinker with a strong end-operator and customer focus, and has the persistence to build a deep space operations capability from the ground up.\nJoin 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!\nSpecial Mentions:\nBased at the Reston, VA or Denver, CO office. Relocation is provided.\nOn-console shift work from Blue Origin’s mission control facilities in VA during launch, early orbit, orbit insertion, commissioning, and critical mission events.\nResponsibilities:\nLead the mission from contract award through closeout, owning operations scope, schedule, budget, risk, reporting, and the customer relationship.\nOwn the operations concept across every mission phase, including launch, Earth departure, interplanetary cruise, orbit insertion, transfer to the final service orbit, relay commissioning, and steady-state service.\nDeliver the contract operations data products, including the mission operations plan, the operations data book and user guide, and the flight operations procedure library and its supporting data.\nServe as the operations point of contact for the customer through development and early orbit.\nDevelop mission plans, operations concepts, tools, and processes that produce effective and labor-efficient operations under significant one-way light time, where real-time interaction with the vehicle is not available.\nBuild the commanding approach around onboard command sequences and time-tagged activity, including planning for solar conjunction outages and other extended loss-of-signal periods.\nWork with the ground segment team on deep space ground station integration, including scheduling, data link, and radiometric tracking data interfaces, and on the compatibility testing that qualifies them.\nLead small teams in the development and implementation of detailed operations procedures, executables, telemetry displays, technical documentation, and other products.\nConduct testing and validation of ops products using a variety of hardware and software simulation environments that span the space and ground domains.\nDrive operations toward ever-increasing levels of efficiency and reliability through automation and the application of AI/ML technologies.\nSupport systems engineering and other disciplines in developing a spacecraft concept of operations, ensuring efficiency and operability for the end-user.\nCreate detailed test procedures to validate end-to-end system capabilities.\nCoordinate staffing for mission operations events and work with our training team to ensure certification of on-console personnel.\nSupport mission readiness activities including mission rehearsals, mission timeline development, and post-launch test development.\nProvide real-time leadership during spacecraft launch and early orbit phase, including shift work, from Blue Origin’s mission control facilities.\nMonitor spacecraft state-of-health across all subsystems, perform trending and analyses, and track spacecraft and ground system configurations.\nSupport the troubleshooting and resolution of on-orbit anomalies as part of an anomaly response team, recognizing that recovery options at planetary distance are limited and time-delayed.\nFoster continuous improvement by contributing, tracking, and implementing lessons-learned for the benefit of future missions.\nRepresent operations to the customer at gated milestone reviews and in routine performance reporting.\nProvide instruction and mentorship to early career engineers, building depth of expertise and capability within the mission operations engineering team.\nQualifications:\nB.S. in Aerospace, Computer Science, Systems, or related fields\n3+ years of experience managing technical teams.\n10+ years of proven experience in spacecraft operations development and execution, including on-console leadership of on-orbit operations as a flight director or in a comparable role.\nDemonstrated ownership of scope, schedule, and budget for a mission or a major deliverable, including direct accountability to an external customer.\nDirect experience operating a spacecraft beyond Earth orbit on a deep space, lunar, or planetary mission, including at least one of the following: interplanetary cruise operations, planetary orbit insertion, or sustained operations at a planetary destination.\nExperience planning and executing operations under one-way light time of minutes or more, where the vehicle is flown through onboard command sequences and telemetry is assessed after the fact rather than interactively.\nExperience with development of spacecraft operations products, including procedures, telemetry displays, scripts, and other technical documents.\nExperience with configuration and product data management.\nExcellent verbal and written communications skills, including ability to make persuasive presentations to external customers at gated milestone reviews.\nAbility to earn trust, build positive professional relationships, contribute to a culture of inclusion, and collaborate with individuals of diverse backgrounds to achieve mission success.\nMust 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.\nDesired:\nM.S. in Space Systems, Computer Science, or Aerospace Engineering,\nMars mission operations experience, including familiarity with the services and interfaces used to schedule relay passes.\nExperience operating a relay or other shared communications asset, including user service planning, pass deconfliction, and store-and-forward delivery.\nExperience planning around solar conjunction and other extended communications outages.\nExperience with Deep Space Network interfaces and processes, including scheduling, data link, and radiometric tracking data delivery.\nExperience with NASA civil space programs and their operations deliverable and review expectations.\nProficiency with command-and-control scripting languages, such as Python, SPELL, STOL, or JAS\nExperience working with virtualized Ground Software (e.g., Command & Control, Mission Planning, Flight Dynamics, Electronic Procedures, Software Simulators)\nExperience with mission planning and contact planning tools.\nExperience managing projects using traditional and agile methodologies.\nExperience as the operations lead or project manager on a competitively awarded government contract, including deliverable-driven reporting and gated milestone reviews.\nExperience in full development lifecycle of space systems’ ground segments.\nMission analysis, flight planning and timeline development (tool and analysis)\nExperience designing and evaluating operational readiness tests integrated with hardware-in-the-loop, and software-in-the-loop simulators.\nExperience with operational fault and anomaly management.\nExperience with performing system safety analyses including Functional Hazard Assessments (FHA), Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analyses (FMECA), and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)\nBase Pay Range for:\nVA applicants is $156,802.00 - $219,522.45\nCO applicants is $144,179.00 - $201,849.90Other site ranges may differ\nCulture Statement\nDon’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.\nExport Control Regulations\nApplicants 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.\nBackground Check\nRequired for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check\nRequired 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\nRequired 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.\nRequired 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\nBenefits\nBenefits 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.\nStock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)\nPaid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.\nDependent 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. \nEqual Employment Opportunity\nBlue 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. 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