Director Manufacturing Engineering - MK1

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.

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.

The Manufacturing Engineering Director will lead managers in technical leadership and provide professional guidance to manufacturing engineers supporting all Manufacturing Engineering Teams in Lunar Permanence Manufacturing Operations.  This role will focus on MK1 Cargo Lander as the pathfinder for Blue’s Sustained Lunar Development architecture.  The successful candidate will ensure sufficient resources are developed and deployed to various hardware fabrication and assembly product teams. This leader will champion efforts to identify, deploy, and advance methods to improve safety, improve quality, reduce cost, and optimize build sequence and schedules. The person in this role will lead and/or participate in the development, standardization and improvement of manufacturing processes. As an integral member of the team, you will drive studies to strengthen the feedback loop between design, build, and test and accelerate the pace of manufacturing program development and production.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight through rapid development lifecycles. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

This role will report to the Vice President of Operations for Lunar Permanence and will be based at Blue’s Rocket Park Manufacturing Complex at Merritt Island, FL.

Special Mentions:

• Relocation provided

Responsibilities include:

• Provide technical and personal leadership to the management and engineering teams including implementation of Design for X (DFX) / Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, Design for Test, etc.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to recruit, and grow the Manufacturing Engineering team
• Collaborate with peer groups to identify, develop and improve manufacturing process while capturing impact of improvements to safety, quality, and process efficiency
• Manage, lead and status multiple projects concurrently
• Ensure timely release of manufacturing work instructions and related technical processes in support of fabrication, assembly, test, integration, and refurbishment
• Balance engineering and production priorities across various programs
• Work closely with site leadership and program managers to meet design, build, and test targets while aligning budget and schedule commitments
• Ensure teams apply robust, consistent, and reliable engineering fundamentals and processes to ensure product integrity and process capability
• Work closely with direct reports to develop specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals and promote professional development
• Ownership of department budgets, staffing levels,capital equipment planning, and implementation
• Participate in and/or lead causal analyses related to engine production and test
• Collaborate proactively with the business unit in the early stages of product development to lead and support design for manufacturability (DFM) initiatives.
• Ensure safety remains a primary focus across all of the functional teams

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or Aerospace Engineering (other relevant fields may apply) from an accredited university
• 15+ years of relevant engineering and manufacturing support experience
• Experience leading manufacturing engineering teams in a research, development, and production environments with rapid development cycles
• Ability to effectively work across multiple teams, earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion
• Advanced experience in complex hardware design and manufacturing (e.g., friction-stir welding, machining, cleaning, non-destructive testing methods, complex assem