Technical Manager-Mechanical Engineering

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 Blue Origin Operations, which is comprised of Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. This includes Manufacturing and Supply Chain support across all Blue Origin facilities.

Technical Manager-Mechanical Engineering

As Technical Manager of the Large Mechanisms team, you will lead a high-performing group of mechanical engineers designing, developing, and delivering the ground mechanical systems and GSE (Ground Support Equipment) that support Blue Origin's launch operations at LC-36 (Cape Canaveral, FL). You will balance hands-on technical leadership with people management, setting the technical direction for the team, developing your engineers, driving execution, and serving as the primary interface between your team and program leadership.

This is a technical management role and is not a purely administrative management position. You will be expected to maintain meaningful technical engagement with the work your team produces, provide engineering judgment on critical design decisions, and be a credible technical voice with stakeholders across the program.

Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership

  • Serve as technical authority for the large mechanisms team, provide engineering guidance and judgment on complex design challenges.

  • Establish and maintain mechanical design standards, analysis methods, and best practices for the team.

  • Review and approve critical design packages, FEA analyses, tolerance stack-up analyses, and engineering drawings.

  • Drive design reviews at key project milestones; ensure all team deliverables comply with applicable codes, standards, and specifications.

• People Leadership

  • Directly manage a team of Mechanical Engineers supporting large mechanisms and GSE design.

  • Recruit, hire, and onboard engineering talent, actively build and maintain a strong team pipeline.

  • Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development conversations, identify skill gaps and develop targeted growth plans for all direct reports.

  • Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and safety-first team culture consistent with Blue Origin's values.

• Program Execution & Cross-Functional Leadership

  • Own team deliverables, manage scope, schedule, budget, and technical quality across multiple concurrent mechanism design programs, identify and communicate risks early and drive mitigation plans.

  • Oversee external design and fabrication partners, ensure technical compliance, quality, and schedule adherence through the full project lifecycle including fabrication, assembly, installation, and testing & activation.

  • Interface with program managers, systems engineers, operations leads to align on priorities and ensure designs are operationally supportable and launch-site safe.

  • Represent the large mechanisms team in program-level reviews, technical interchange meetings, and leadership forums, contribute to budget, headcount planning, and resource allocation in coordination with senior leadership.

Minimum Qualifications (required):

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related discipline.

• 10+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience with significant focus on large-scale mechanical systems, mechanisms, or GSE.

• 4+ years of direct engineering management or team lead experience, including performance management and career development of direct reports.

• Demonstrated experience leading mechanical design programs from concept through commissioning and operations.

• Experience with ASME Y14.5 Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis.

• Experience designing and analyzing bolted connections, mechanical interfaces, and load-bearing joints in precision mechanical assemblies.

• Experience with heavy-duty mechanism types including locking mechanisms, linkage systems, quick release systems, and alignment mechanisms.

• Experience analyzing mechanical systems under dynamic loading con