Meteorologist Senior (IV) – New Glenn

Application close date:

At Blue Origin we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. Were 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 supports the development and operations of New Glenn a single-configuration heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit geostationary transfer orbit cislunar and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

As a Chief Meteorologist for New Glenn you will provide mission-ready weather analysis nowcasting and recommendations to enable safe compliant and efficient launch operations. You will be a core member of the launch team responsible for forecasts and GO/NO GO recommendations that directly inform the Launch Directors decisions for launch recovery and associated operations.

You will share in the teams impact across all phases of a launch campaign including pre-campaign planning daily forecasting countdown support real-time nowcasting recovery support and post-mission verification and continuous improvement.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise operational judgment and dedication to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary Launch Weather Officer for assigned New Glenn launch and recovery campaigns.
• Provide synoptic and mesoscale forecasts for the launch site ascent corridor and recovery zones as well as for travel to and from operational work sites.
• Develop and deliver mission-focused weather briefings that enable GO/NO GO decisions with agreed confidence levels for each hold point and decision gate.
• Nowcast during countdown including:
  • Continuous monitoring of radar satellite lightning networks surface towers field mills ceilometers radiosonde data wave and wind measurements and other site instrumentation.
  • Real-time assessment of Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) and applicable launch weather rules.
  • Clear timely GO/NO GO recommendations to the Launch Director (LD) and Range stakeholders.
• Calculate track and present Forecast Accuracy Scores (FAS) for key weather constraints and for overall launch windows; maintain and improve the FAS methodology.
• Issue operational weather advisories relevant to ground operations and flight (e.g. lightning high winds heavy precipitation low visibility sea state) to protect personnel hardware and mission timelines.
• Coordinate with external partners (e.g. range weather authority airspace/ATC partners 45th Weather Squadron) to align on constraints share data and maintain a common operating picture.
• Support launch readiness reviews and key milestones (e.g. FRR L-3/L-2/L-1 briefs countdown holds) with structured decision-oriented weather products and risk assessments.
• Perform quality control (QC) of Terminal Doppler and other radar/wind products (TDRWP QC) and ensure data integrity for operational use.
• Oversee operational weather balloon activities including launch planning troubleshooting and inventory management for radiosondes and consumables.
• Conduct post-launch and post-campaign verification:
  • Compare forecast vs. observed conditions by constraint.
  • Document forecast performance unanticipated impacts and lessons learned.
  • Recommend updates to procedures tools and rules based on findings.
• Contribute to long-range and seasonal outlooks supporting mission campaign planning within the scope of operational needs.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable launch weather rules licensing requirements and internal standards for documentation and decision logging.
• Support development validation and continuous improvement of tools visualization suites and standard forecast/briefing formats.
• Participate in a rotation that provides coverage during peak campaign days (often 1214 hours/day) and off-nominal operations including nights weekends and holidays as required by the launch schedule.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Meteorology Atmospheric Science or a closely related field.
• 4 years of professional experience in operational weather forecasting in high-consequence environments (e.g. launch/range operations aviation military or severe weather operations).
• Demonstrated skill in mesoscale analysis and nowcasting including interpretation of:
  • Weather radar and satellite imagery
  • Lightning detection networks
  • Surface and upper-air observations including radiosondes
• Experience applying structured weather rules or constraints (e.g. lightning launch commit criteria wind and cloud rules icing/turbulence thresholds) to support operational GO/NO GO decisions.
• Proven ability to deliver concise decision-oriented briefings to technical and non-technical stakeholders under time pressure.
• Experience using numerical weather prediction models and ensembles and synthesizing conflicting guidance into a coherent forecast and confidence statement.
• Strong written documentation skills for forecasts advisories and post-event analyses.
• Ability and willingness to work non-standard hours including nights weekends and holidays and to support extended launch countdowns and windows (12 hours) while managing fatigue risk.
• Ability to take ownership of work operate under minimal direction and function effectively in a multi-disciplinary launch control environment.
• Must be able to satisfy U.S. export control requirements as described in the Export Control Regulations section below.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 6 years of experience as an operational meteorologist supporting launch operations military test ranges aviation hubs or equivalent high-tempo high-stakes environments.
• Experience supporting space launch operations or range weather operations (e.g. Eastern/Western Range DoD/USSF ranges commercial spaceports).
• Strong familiarity with coastal and maritime weather phenomena (e.g. sea breeze circulations deep convection anvil debris low-level wind shear icing aloft sea state) in subtropical environments.
• Experience with lightning safety and launch commit criteria electric-field mill networks and integration of multiple lightning detection systems into operations.
• Background in forecast verification and performance metrics (e.g. design and implementation of FAS or similar scoring) including use of scripting or analysis tools (e.g. Python MATLAB R) to generate statistics and reports.
• Experience conducting or QCing weather balloon/radiosonde operations in support of launch or aviation including upper-level wind and thermodynamic profiling.
• Familiarity with common meteorological data and visualization systems such as AWIPS-like platforms range weather systems or equivalent proprietary tools.
• Knowledge of systems engineering and operations concepts including configuration control standard operating procedures and change management for operational rules and tools.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. Launch Director Range Safety GNC Mission Assurance FAA/ATC) and to act as a single authoritative voice on weather in critical forums.

Compensation Range for:

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Dont 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 youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt 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 a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blues 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 10001 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 companys intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the companys results or other factors at the companys sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

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