Senior Manager, Avionics – Mechanical Engineering and Harnessing (R36906)

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 a part of New Shepard, 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.

The New Shepard Avionics team overall has wide responsibility for design, test, integration, and maintenance of all vehicle avionics systems, including flight computers, RF communications, vehicle controls, navigation instrumentation, power systems, astronaut audio and video, data acquisition, and more. As a member of New Shepard Avionics, you will lead and manage our talented Mechanical Engineering and Routed Systems (Cable Harness) team.

The Mechanical Engineering and Routed Systems (Cable Harness) team is responsible for creating mechanical designs and installations of electronic enclosures, assemblies, and cable harnesses for our space vehicle and support systems. As the manager, you will lead team members who are responsible for all aspects of engineering: design, analysis, fabrication, installation, test, and operations support. You will coordinate project assignments with team leads and project managers, reconciling project needs with staff capabilities. As the team leader, you will own the technical quality of your team’s work, including the standards, processes, and tools for complex avionics enclosure design, analysis, and harnessing. You will also be responsible for your team’s growth and development, including performance management, training, career development, hiring, and mentoring. While this is a management role, it also requires, and provides the opportunity for, significant technical input, guidance, review, and oversight. The Avionics Mechanical Engineering and Routed Systems team has a wide set of responsibilities for on-vehicle components and sub-system, and their work includes initial requirements definition, analysis, design, engineering test, formal verification, environmental qualification, production release, and vehicle installation. They also provide mission support at our launch site in Texas.

We are looking for the right person to apply their technical experience, organizational expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe, reusable, and reliable human spaceflight. Passion for Blue Origin’s mission and vision is required.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Minimum of a B.S. degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical engineering, or equivalent.
• 10+ years of demonstrated experience managing technical teams and/or leading functional groups, with responsibility for technical quality of work delivered, and career management of employees 
• 5+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: mechanical design; electronic hardware packaging; analysis or testing in areas covering static structural, modal, random vibration, shock, and/or fatigue; thermal assessment and analysis; cable harness design and routing 
• Experience designing ruggedized electronic enclosures and/or cable harnesses in space, commercial aviation, or similar high-performance applications for regulated industries 
• History of developing standardized processes and methods
• Ability to work within a dynamic flexible environment, be self-directed, and balance multiple tasks simultaneously 
• Ability to work with other parts of an organization, including Executive Management, Procurement, Production, Quality, and Materials & Processes.
• Ability to communicate effectively 
• Experience mentoring, training, and recruiting
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with recent versions of Creo, Windchill, ANSYS, Zuken, or equivalent software
• Experience with fatigue analysis and fracture mechanics
• Familiarity with aerospace industry standard structural analysis methods (Bruhn, Marks’, Shigley, Steinberg) 
• Experience with environmental testing similar to MIL-STD-810 
• Experience with circuit card design per IPC-A-610 and/or J standards 
• Experience with harness design per IPC-A-620
• Experience with Steinberg and Engelmeier Solder fatigue 
• Experience with GD&T implementation and analysis (ASME Y14.5) 
• Familiarity with AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 quality systems
• Network of contacts at aerospace