Senior NDT Engineer, Automated Inspection (Embedded, Advanced Manufacturing)

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! 

This role is part of Blue Origin Operations, which is comprised of Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. This includes Manufacturing and Supply Chain support across all Blue Origin facilities.

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 is part of Blue Origin Operations, which is comprised of Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. This includes Manufacturing and Supply Chain support across all Blue Origin facilities.

You will be the embedded NDT engineer on the Advanced Manufacturing team, a hands-on group of engineers, technicians, and fabricators that develops new joining, materials, and automation processes for rocket hardware. You will make sure every process the team develops can be inspected, and you will architect the automated eddy current and ultrasonic systems that inspect it at rate. You will own NDT requirements, instrumentation, and interfaces for each system and carry it through verification, qualification, and hand-off to production. You will partner closely with Blue Origin’s NDT Level III and Quality organizations, bringing their requirements into the team and representing the team’s systems for procedure approval and production acceptance. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the development of rocket hardware and safe human spaceflight.

Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities:

· Serve as the team’s NDT focal from concept through production hand-off. Be the first point of contact for NDT questions, and decide when specialist or enterprise NDT support is needed.

· Partner with the responsible Level III and Quality. Bring enterprise NDT requirements, procedures, and lessons learned into the team, and represent the team’s systems for procedure approval, qualification, and production acceptance.

· Design inspectability into new processes and parts. Characterize the defect types that new joining and manufacturing processes produce, select methods that detect them, and define the NDT content of process qualification plans, including correlation with destructive test and in-process data.

· Own requirements for automated NDT systems. Gather stakeholder needs and derive performance requirements: coverage, sensitivity and resolution, probability of detection, positional accuracy, standoff and normality, scan speed, throughput, and availability. Flow these requirements to instrumentation, end-effectors, motion, and data systems, and to suppliers through specifications and statements of work. Maintain verification traceability and the requirements baseline.

· Own the technical architecture of automated eddy current and ultrasonic (including phased array and through-transmission) systems. Lead trade studies on method, manipulator, coupling, commercial versus custom instrumentation, and in-house versus integrator delivery.

· Define and control interfaces between NDT instrumentation, end-effectors and fixtures, motion control, and data systems through interface control documents.

· Act as the team’s technical lead on ultrasonic and eddy current physics, within the Level III’s procedure and certification authority. Specify, integrate, and configure instruments, pulser-receivers, multiplexers, probes and transducers, encoders, triggering, and couplant delivery.

· Translate design acceptance limits into reference standards, NDT acceptance criteria, and inspection procedures, authored or co-authored with the responsible Level III.

· Plan and lead verification and qualification, including capability demonstration, probability of detection, repeatability and reproducibility, and acceptance testing.

· Set data requirements with software engineers, including formats, encoding, registration to part geometry, and traceability. Own the labeled reference data used to validate automated and AI-assisted analysis.

· Evaluate supplier NDT instruments, probes, services, and procedures.

· Lead requirements, design, and test readiness reviews. Transition qualified systems to production inspection and support them until stable.

· Mentor engineers on NDT fundamentals, instrumentation, and inspection-system requirements.

· Ensure compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory standards.

Minimum Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Materials, or Systems Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related field.

· 7+ years of NDT engineering experience in ultrasonic and/or eddy current inspection, including development or integration of mechanized or automated inspection systems, in aerospace, nuclear, energy, or heavy industry.

· Technical lead on at least one mechanized or automated ultrasonic or eddy current inspection system from requirements through qualification and acceptance, including architecture, instrumentation selection, integration, and capability demonstration.

· Depth in the physics of one method family (ultrasonic or eddy current) and working knowledge of the other. Ultrasonic: acoustic impedance, frequency and wavelength selection, mode conversion, attenuation, beam spread, and phased array focal laws. Eddy current: impedance plane analysis, skin depth, lift-off, phase, and probe geometry.

· Experience working under a NAS 410 / EN 4179 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A written practice, including developing or qualifying inspection techniques and procedures with a Responsible Level III.

· Working knowledge of ASTM and SAE AMS method standards, Nadcap, and AS9100.

· Working knowledge of radiography and CT, penetrant, and visual methods, sufficient to select methods and engage specialists.

· Hands-on configuration of NDT instrumentation, including setup, probe and transducer selection, encoding, triggering, multiplexing, acquisition, and calibration.

· Demonstrated authorship of equipment requirements, interface documents, trade studies, verification plans, procedures, and qualification reports, including derived requirements and traceability.

· Experience with reference standard design and probability of detection or other statistical method validation.

· Working knowledge of motion and controls sufficient to define interfaces, including robot or gantry accuracy, encoders, position-synchronized acquisition, and PLC handshakes.

· Ability to analyze inspection data in Python, MATLAB, or equivalent, and to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and material specifications.

· Ability to lead technical reviews and to work as the primary NDT expert on a multidisciplinary team.

Desired:

· Level III certification in ultrasonic and/or eddy current inspection (NAS 410 or ASNT), with dual-method a strong plus. Experience with Nadcap NDT audits.

· Experience as an embedded or sole NDT engineer on a manufacturing development or new product introduction team, working alongside a central NDT or Quality organization.

· Weld inspection experience, including friction stir and fusion welds, and characterizing the defect populations of new joining processes.

· Experience correlating NDT results with destructive testing, CT, or in-process monitoring data during process qualification.

· Robot- or gantry-integrated ultrasonic or eddy current inspection, including squirter or immersion phased array and through-transmission.

· Advanced methods such as full matrix capture / total focusing method, eddy current array, or multi-frequency eddy current.

· NDT simulation (CIVA or similar) for coverage planning and response prediction.

· Formal statistical training in probability of detection (MIL-HDBK-1823A), repeatability and reproducibility, or Six Sigma.

· Procurement specifications and statements of work for inspection equipment or automation integrators.

· Inspection of large thin-wall aluminum, titanium, nickel, or stainless structures such as stiffened panels, domes, and tank skins.

· Scan-to-CAD registration, ASTM E2339 (DICONDE), and machine-learning-assisted defect recognition.

· Master’s degree or Ph.D. in NDT, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials, or a related field.

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.

Base Pay Range for:

WA applicants is $145,188.00 - $203,263.20

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 EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.