Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer

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 diverse team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!  

This role is part of the Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance team. This team is focused on monitoring and assessing processes that guide Blue Origin’s design, manufacturing, and operations, ensuring system safety engineering, environmental health, and safety, product integrity, and continuous improvement processes.

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 toward 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 part of a small, passionate, and accomplished team of leaders, you will be responsible for the continuous improvement of operational processes for various spaceflight tools, processes, and systems. You will share in the team’s impact on all aspects of the Blue Production System! As a team, we will help build a Lean culture, improving processes and process development within a workplace culture that emphasizes accountability, and attention to detail at all levels. We have a passion for solving sophisticated problems and providing operable solutions. You will act with minimal direction and on your initiative and be adaptable as you will work on a variety of applications and systems. We are looking for an individual who can help teams resolve and implement innovative process improvement initiatives that will support rocket engine production and development. We will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention toward safe and repeatable spaceflight!

Responsibilities:

• Be a change agent. Create standard work for Lean manufacturing principles. Mentor, coach, and teach employees and leaders in these Lean principles to build a culture of continuous improvement

• Build a culture of employee engagement, and continuous improvement, and lead large and medium breakthrough improvement projects. Facilitate and lead Kaizen improvement teams with a core focus on elimination of non-value-added activities

• Create business metrics and Key Performance Indicators to accurately measure improvement activities.

Qualifications:

• 10 years of confirmed experience in a production field with at least 5 years of Lean Manufacturing/Toyota Production System experience

• Experience developing and implementing standards for Lean Manufacturing principles such as Tiered Accountability, 5-S, Gemba, Kaizen, Standard Work, Andon, Kanban, SMED, Line Balancing, Heijunka, Total Productive Maintenance, etc.

• Lean Manufacturing background with experience planning and facilitating Kaizen events with proven improvement results

• Strong communication, presentation, relationship-building, and strategic planning skills. Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion

• Excellent project management skills (facilitation, project planning, execution, organizing, and administration)

• Proven track record of resolving differences of opinion effectively, leading change and problem-solving

• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

• Up to 25% travel to other Blue Origin locations to support cross-site initiatives

Desired:

• Experience with low-volume sophisticated manufacturing systems

• Self-starter, who can lead numerous projects/Kaizens while working across business units and functional organizations

• Familiarity with AS9100 or ISO9000 Quality Management Systems and/or related quality systems and programs

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

Inclusivity Statement

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