Instrument Lead — Oasis - 1 Mission (space Resources Program)

Space Resources Program Instrument Lead

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.

We believe that to preserve our planet, humanity must expand beyond our current limits, venturing into space to explore and harness new energy and material resources. In pursuit of this vision, we invite you to join our Space Resources Program, working alongside Blue Alchemist, Blue Origin's initiative to enable lunar surface power production and building blocks for humanity from local materials.

The Space Resources Program encompasses multiple projects; in this role, you will contribute across the portfolio, including the current Blue Alchemist effort and future initiatives. We're dedicated to developing and demonstrating Prospecting and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies for the Moon, Mars, and beyond. If our mission resonates with you and you are eager to contribute, you could be the perfect addition to our inclusive, open-minded, and forward-thinking team. In this hands-on leadership role, you will work in a fully in-person capacity at our Los Angeles SRCE facility.

You will serve as the Instrument Lead, owning overall instrument design and configuration, performance, calibration, operations, and related subcontracts. You will lead the design, build, verification, and delivery of two Instrument Modules and an Engineering Model; plan and execute instrument calibrations with external labs; and run field tests that validate performance and inform pipeline updates. You will co-lead the Calibration Review Board (CRB) with the Sr. Geochemist, maintain calibration traceability under configuration management, and provide instrument inputs to final ICDs, ConOps, and operations procedures.

You will collaborate closely with Systems, Design & Integration, Software, Mission Scientist, Mission Assurance/Quality, Supply Management, and external labs/vendors to deliver calibrated, verified Instrument Modules ready for integration and flight.

In this hands-on leadership role, you will work in a fully in-person capacity at our Los Angeles Space Resources Center of Excellence (SRCE) facility. You will serve as the software owner for the lunar prospecting mission Oasis-1, connecting flight and ground software, ultra-low-altitude navigation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds, and ground stations into a coherent, secure, reliable, and operable system. You will own mission flight and ground software architectures; lead fault management implementation; stand up and operate HIL benches; validate ground station compatibility; and execute cybersecurity work package and accreditation inputs. You will lead a small software team, collaborate closely with Systems, Instruments, Mission Operations, and Quality, and engage external partners to ensure secure, reliable end-to-end operations.

We value self-motivated, hands-on leaders who can find practical solutions to abstract problems. Our teams work in fast-paced cycles of design, analysis, and operations to deliver scalable solutions. We're looking for someone adaptable, willing to take action, eager to learn, and committed to a highly dedicated and open-minded team of team players working together, all while embracing a culture of safety and quality. Your creativity, innovative spirit, and ability to navigate changing requirements are crucial.

Conditions of employment: Offer and start are contingent upon contract award/funding and required internal approvals. If the contract is not awarded, the role may be paused or canceled.

Location: Fully in-person role based at our Los Angeles (North Hollywood) SRCE facility.

Key Responsibilities and Core Deliverables:

• Instrument Module design, build, and V&V leadership
• Receive parts for two Instrument Modules; assemble two flight units and an Engineering Model; test per the finalized V&V plan; maintain calibration artifact traceability.
• Coordinate CRB interactions with the Sr. Geochemist; manage NCR/MRB with PA/QA; ensure inspection points and GSE readiness.
• Deliver Instrument Modules meeting requirements and completion evidence for the Instrument Module V&V plan.
• Calibration leadership (labs and on-orbit)
• Procure/contract calibrations for MSI Imaging Spectrometer, GRNS, and magnetometers; verify calibration data and integrate into the data pipeline.
• Develop the on-orbit calibration plan; convene and co-lead the CRB; lock calibration coefficients; maintain a calibration database under configuration management.
• Deliver verified calibration datasets for all instruments, a locked on-orbit calibration plan, and a CM-controlled calibration database.
• Field tests planning and execution
• Lead Field Test Readiness Review; approve plans/procedures and hazards; ship/integrate EM and GSE; conduct rehearsals and comms link tests.
• Collect datasets across terrains/geometries, exercise navigation and ops, record ground truth, ingest/process data, perform geospatial projections, compare to truth, quantify errors, and update calibration/pipeline parameters; document issues and fixes; lead closeout.
• Deliver approved Field Test Plan/Procedures, field datasets with ground truth, discrepancy/corrective action records, and Field Test Closeout Review artifacts.
• Design finalization and procurement support
• Close CDR gating actions; finalize instrument design and complete CM processes; partner with Supply Management to procure all parts/GSE per BOM.
• Ensure build travelers, calibrated GSE, and inspection points are established; coordinate with D&I on EBOM↔MBOM mapping and audits.
• Deliver finalized and locked design through CM, finalized V&V inputs, procurement receipts, and as-built records.
• Interfaces, ICDs, and integration support
• Provide instrument inputs to final Mechanical/Electrical ICDs; support interface verification with D&I participate in joint TRRs with suppliers and PA/QA witnessing.
• Support integration of Instrument Modules onto satellites and dispensers, including fit/functional and environmental testing per the final V&V plan.
• Deliver signed instrument ICD contributions and interface verification evidence.
• Data quality, pipeline integration, and operations readiness
• Define instrument performance metrics and acceptance; align with Mission Scientist and Software on telemetry and pipeline inputs; verify calibration integration.
• Provide inputs to ConOps and pass plans; contribute to operator procedures for instrument commissioning and operations; support ORR/MRR/FRR.
• Deliver performance/calibration reports and operator procedures/playbooks.
• Reviews, change control, and configuration management
• Lead instrument content for SRR/PDR/CDR/QR/TRR/FRR; maintain CM baselines and audit readiness; execute approved changes via CCB/JCB processes.
• Deliver review artifacts, minutes, action closures, configuration audit records, and approved change documentation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 5+ years of spaceborne instrument AIT and calibration across at least two different instrument types.
• Demonstrated ownership building and testing instrument hardware through environmental test and delivery per a formal V&V plan.
• Experience planning/executing calibrations with external labs and vendors; developing on-orbit calibration plans; managing calibration databases under configuration management.
• Experience with CRB leadership/participation and NCR/MRB processes; coordination with PA/QA for independent witnessing and IV&V.
• Proven ability to define/manage instrument-level ICDs and interfaces; collaborate with D&I on EBOM↔MBOM mapping; support system-level integration and TRRs.
• Familiarity with field testing, ground truth data collection, and integration of calibration into data processing pipelines with science/software teams.
• Strong documentation, configuration management, and review readiness (SRR/PDR/CDR/TRR/FRR); excellent cross-functional communication.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a related field; 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on leadership building flight units and EMs for SmallSat/CubeSat missions; delivery to integration and support through launch/commissioning.
• Depth in EMI/EMC,