Vice President, Avionics - New Glenn

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 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.

New Glenn will fly dozens of missions per year. As VP of Avionics, you'll make it possible—leading the scale-up of integrated avionics systems from prototype to production, establishing the technical baseline, organizational capability, and supplier ecosystem needed to support the most aggressive launch cadence in commercial space.

This is your opportunity to build the avionics organization that will define the future of reusable orbital spaceflight.

The Challenge

New Glenn is Blue Origin's orbital heavy-lift rocket, designed to fundamentally change the economics of space access. Your mission: architect and execute the avionics strategy that delivers integrated hardware, software, and ground control systems at scale—from autonomous flight computers to RF communications—all while maintaining the uncompromising quality and reliability standards that spaceflight demands.

You'll own the entire New Glenn avionics vertical, serving as an executive leader with technical authority and business accountability. You'll lead interdisciplinary teams across hardware, software, and systems engineering to establish the processes, culture, and strategic roadmap needed for unprecedented production rates in the launch vehicle industry.

What You'll Do

Define Technical Vision & Strategy

• Own and control the technical baseline for all New Glenn avionics subsystems: electrical power systems, guidance/navigation/control, RF communications, command & data handling, telemetry, and vehicle networks
• Architect the long-term avionics roadmap that balances performance, cost, schedule, and risk across the full vehicle lifecycle
• Establish integrated design principles across hardware, software, and test systems that deliver mission reliability while meeting aerospace quality and regulatory standards
• Provide high-caliber technical direction that ensures engineering outputs meet mission objectives while enabling production scalability

Lead Full Lifecycle Execution

• Oversee the complete lifecycle of avionics products from requirement definition through design, development, integration, verification, validation, qualification, production, and flight operations
• Manage P&L accountability for New Glenn avionics, including budget development, resource allocation, and cost control
• Lead major technical and programmatic reviews with internal and external stakeholders, including executive leadership, customers, and regulatory bodies
• Ensure compliance with aerospace standards while driving schedule acceleration and cost reduction

Drive Operational Excellence & Scale

• Establish avionics production architecture that transitions from engineering builds to high-volume manufacturing
• Deploy continuous improvement methodologies, data-driven quality systems, and automation tools to maximize throughput and first-pass yield
• Manage external procurements and internal hardware dependencies across multi-site operations
• Implement risk management frameworks and proactive mitigation strategies at the program level

Lead at Executive Scale

• Build, mentor, and inspire large avionics organizations across hardware engineering, embedded software, electrical design, and manufacturing
• Provide leadership development, performance management, and succession planning for senior managers and functional leaders
• Foster a culture of innovation, quality, and psychological safety that attracts and retains top technical talent
• Champion organizational change initiatives and export avionics best practices across Blue Origin programs

Drive Cross-Functional Integration

• Serve as the avionics voice on New Glenn executive leadership team—influencing technical and business decisions at the program level
• Partner with Manufacturing, Propulsion, Structures, Mission Operatio