Sr. Program Safety and Reliability Engineer at Blue Origin – Los Angeles, California

Title: Sr. Program Safety and Reliability Engineer

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Position Type: Full time

Requisition ID: R63439

Description:

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 Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design.

In this hands-on role, you will be based full-time on-site at our Los Angeles facility, working with the Space Resources Program team. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced safety- and reliability-focused engineer to own critical system safety and reliability activities, starting with early hazard identification and carrying through to full evaluation and execution of mitigation plans. You will dive deep into both flight and non-flight hardware, collaborating with the team to drive robust system safety and reliability and address nuances inherent in early technology development with exotic materials and processes. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment and is comfortable balancing technical risk, schedule pressure, and evolving program needs.

This position works in close partnership with Engineering, Test Operations, Facilities, and EHS to identify hazards, reduce operational risk, and enable safe execution of program objectives. While embedded within the program organization, this role carries responsibilities similar to a senior EHS engineer in support of day-to-day operations and serves as a complementary hands-on function to the corporate EHS team, not a replacement for it.

As part of a hardworking team of safety and technical professionals, you will provide subject matter expertise to engineering, production, and test resources related to program safety, occupational safety, process safety, and environmental compliance implementation. You will support all phases of hardware development and campaign execution, including design reviews, hazard assessments, management of change, test readiness reviews, incident investigations, and emergency response planning. This role will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention toward safe and repeatable spaceflight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Serve as the embedded senior program safety engineer supporting the Space Resources Program team through design, build, commissioning, and test execution

• Implement safety programs and practices for the evaluation and control of potential hazards including, but not limited to, industrial hygiene concerns, fall protection, confined space, lock out/tag out, process safety management, hazard assessments, hearing conservation and noise hazards, heat stress, chemical hazards, and environmental management in support of program operations

• Lead early hazard identification efforts and carry hazards through evaluation, control definition, mitigation planning, verification, and closure

• Provide subject matter expertise in design reviews, test reviews, readiness reviews, and operational planning

• Support safety and reliability assessments for both flight and non-flight hardware, with emphasis on developmental systems, exotic materials, and non-routine processes

• Perform a wide range of safety consultation services, including planning, managing, and reporting the results of assessments

• Support incidents and emergencies, including spills, injuries, hazardous operations, equipment upsets, abnormal test conditions, and other emergency situations

• Partner closely with the corporate EHS team to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal safety, health, and environmental regulations

• Prepare technical reports, safety assessments, readiness summaries, investigation findings, and other documentation as required

• Continually update and ensure compliance with Blue Origin processes and procedures

• Support onboarding and indoctrination of new employees on program safety and EHS expectations

• Assist in waste disposal activities including hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste, universal waste, and recycling materials in coordination with EHS

• Contribute to the injury/illness and near miss reporting process, including investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action development

• Develop, update, and deliver safety and EHS training relevant to program operations

• Serve as a program focal point for safety and environmental issues and concerns

• Evaluate operations for continuous process improvement and implementation of preventive action measures

• Support development, review, and closure of job hazard analyses and risk assessments

• Provide subject matter expertise to engineering and production resources related to safety, process safety, and EHS

• Provide safety and EHS-related input for equipment, facility, and operational design changes

• Perform periodic audits and assessments of safety programs, work areas, and operational readiness

• Support Management of Change (MOC), non-routine process approval, construction safety oversight, emergency response planning, and go/no-go safety readiness reviews

• Provide direct support to campaign operations, including off-hours or 24/7 activities as needed

• Work across engineering, operations, and EHS teams to balance technical risk, schedule demands, and evolving program requirements while maintaining safe execution

• Use test, production, and field performance data to identify dominant failure modes and hazards, quantify risk, and drive corrective/preventive actions.

• Partner with design, integration and operations teams to incorporate hazard controls and reliability requirements into system design, procedures, and configuration baselines.

• Collaborate with SQMA / Mission Assurance to align hazard and reliability evidence with mission assurance plans, product acceptance criteria, and risk acceptance processes.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in engineering, chemistry, environmental science, industrial hygiene, occupational safety, or a related technical field

• 10+ years total work experience in safety, EHS, process safety, system safety, reliability engineering, or operational risk management

• 5+ years work experience in an operational aerospace environment, manufacturing, chemical industry, pilot plant, prototyping, or test operations

• Knowledge of applicable OSHA, EPA, NFPA, ANSI, and state/local regulations

• Knowledge of Process Safety Management methods and hazard control principles

• Experience supporting hazard assessments, job hazard analyses (JHAs), risk assessments, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions

• Experience supporting incident/accident reporting practices, investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action closure

• Ability to provide safety input to design reviews, test reviews, readiness reviews, and non-routine operations

• Knowledge and ability to use industrial hygiene tools and monitors, or ability to interpret and apply industrial hygiene data in partnership with EHS

• Expertise in writing technical reports, safety assessments, procedures, and investigation summaries

• Good analytical skills and attention to detail, with an ability to interpret and communicate complex technical information

• Ability to work effectively across engineering, operations, test, facilities, and EHS teams

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with evolving program needs and schedule pressure

• Candidate must be able to lift/carry up to fifty pounds, physically climb multiple flights of stairs, withstand prolonged standing, and work in adverse weather or industrial conditions as needed

Preferred Qualifications:

• 15+ years total work experience in safety, EHS, process safety, system safety, reliability engineering, or operational risk management

• 7+ years work experience in operational aerospace, manufacturing, chemical processing, pilot plant, R&D, or developmental test environments

• Experience supporting high-risk test campaigns, startup/commissioning, or 24/7 operations

• Experience with:

  • Management of Change (MOC)

  • non-routine process approval

  • construction safety oversight

  • emergency response planning

  • test readiness reviews / go-no-go reviews

  • corrective action and GEMBA action closure

• Experience supporting systems involving:

  • high-temperature operations

  • high-power electrical systems

  • vacuum systems

  • compressed gases

  • hazardous chemicals

• stored energy / thermal mass hazards

• Strong knowledge of incident response and emergency coordination for spills, gas releases, thermal events, and abnormal operating conditions

• Demonstrated ability to work across functions (design, operations, test, EHS, quality/mission assurance) to drive closure of risk mitigations.

• Experience partnering closely with a corporate EHS organization while serving as an embedded program safety resource

• Experience supporting early-stage technology development, exotic materials, and novel processes

• Expertise in Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)

• ASP, CSP, CIH, or CHMM certification

• Advanced degree in engineering, safety, chemistry, environmental science, or a related technical field

Additional Role Context:

This role is intended to provide embedded program-level safety support for complex development and test activities. It works hand-in-hand with EHS, engineering, and operations to ensure hazards are identified, communicated, and controlled before and during execution. This role complements corporate EHS responsibilities for regulatory compliance, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, and site-wide safety programs. This role serves as the program’s single point of contact for safety issue tracking, reporting, execution to closure, leadership briefing, and ongoing monitoring. The individual in this role will ensure safety issues are clearly documented, prioritized, communicated, assigned, and driven to timely resolution across engineering, operations, facilities, and EHS stakeholders.

Compensation Range for:

CA 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 (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.

• 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.