Senior Manager of Avionics Test

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 the New Shepard program. New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket system designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space. Through operational reusability, New Shepard supports our mission of lowering the cost of access to space.

We are a diverse team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. 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. 

As the driving force for test and verification of space hardware, you will lead a hardworking and accomplished team of engineers, technicians, and test specialists. With your expertise in avionics test engineering, operations, and leadership, you will facilitate on-time completion of test activities through process improvement and partnership with program management. You are adept at managing a highly capable team, comfortable adjusting in response to evolving requirements or external constraints, and prioritizing efforts all the while infusing and facilitating creativity and innovation. You will share in the team’s impact on all aspects of vehicle development and verification. 

Being a standout colleague is a must; you will collaborate across team interfaces to understand and overcome challenges to deliver mission-ready hardware and vehicles. The job will be based in Kent, WA. 

We are looking for someone to apply their leadership and dedication to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission is required! 

Responsibilities: 

• Team-member hiring, development, and performance management.
• Develop talent roadmaps to concurrently support employee career and company objectives. 
• Support employee goal generation, tracking, and development. 
• Develop and maintain team training plans and materials.
• Ensure team compliance with command media; drive revisions when appropriate.
• Close coordination with program management to ensure successful planning and execution of test engineering activities.
• Generating staffing, test space/equipment and financial evaluations. 
• Oversee and ensure team owned test labs are appropriately organized, managed, and equipped.
• Collaborate with adjacent and supporting teams to assure mutual success.
• Lead development and continual evolution of the team’s charter, vision, operational processes, and standard operating procedures.
• Provide recommendations and develop process improvements in a wide-range of test engineering activities, such as: 
  • Developing test plans and test procedures; 
  • Deriving test requirements; 
  • Scoping, defining, and developing test equipment to support automated testing; 
  • Supporting engineering design activities as a technical partner; 
  • Planning and supporting requirements verification and validation;
  • Developing job hazard analyses;
  • Test anomaly response, performing root cause analyses and implementing corrective actions;
  • Work closely with program management, business development, and other engineering groups to develop a whole system approach to test. 
     

Qualifications: 

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in electrical or aerospace engineering or equivalent experience. 
• 5+ years of leadership experience in the aerospace industry. 
• Demonstrated experience with component test planning and operations (e.g. vibration/shock/thermal/EMI/TVAC of avionics components).
• Demonstrated experience with avionics development, verification, and validation processes.
• Experience with hazardous operations, enforcing safety protocols, and mitigation of electrical and