Supervisor - AERS Technicians

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!  

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 towards 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.

This role is a part of the Test & Flight Operations team, providing centralized support to business units with a focus on the design, build, and maintenance of the ground systems, test, and launch facilities across multiple locations.

As the supervisor of a hardworking and accomplished team of test technicians, you will set technical direction, build team members to support current and future program needs, be responsible for employee life cycle including hiring, performance management, training and providing tools for career development.

Your role will be pivotal in enhancing the technical processes, instituting industry best practices, and advancing tool development within specific domains of launch vehicle test planning, execution, and hardware development cycles. Kent Test Operations is strategically positioning itself to achieve a significantly increased throughput, with the objective of amplifying our testing frequency to a 10x cadence to match the rate of our manufacturing facility. This initiative is crucial for meeting our ambitious testing cadence targets.

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

Responsibilities:

• Supervise test technician personnel in day-to-day operations

• Conduct performance reviews

• Responsible for establishing workstation assignments, employee training, overtime assignments and back-up for absent employees

• Maintain and communicate test facility schedule status to ensure meeting customer expectations

• Provide first level escalation support to employees regarding HR issues (employee relations, worker’s compensation, disciplinary actions, timecards, PTO requests)

• Identifying Continuous Improvement opportunities and implementing change to improve process, reduce cycle and setup times aimed at matching rate with our manufacturing facility.

• Maintain all test facility programs.  These programs include 5S, Lean, Cleaning and Safety

• Ensure all team members follow work instructions, quality requirements and processes

• Ensure accurate test technician staff data recording. Namely clock-in/clock-out activities

• Provide continued training and skills development for team members, and mentor early career team member

• Ensure start-up readiness for production

• Maintain test facilities organization, safety, and cleanliness

• Support design for manufacturing and provide job planning estimates

• Ability to perform interviews, evaluate talent and provide hiring recommendations

• Safely work within an industrial environment

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Aerospace and Flight testing qualification

• Proven experience and successful track record leading teams and influencing company-level policy and direction.

• Proven experience in motivating other departments within your company to commit to a collaborative effort and delivery on an aggressive schedule.

• Strong work ethic with a high attention to detail and level of organization.

• Strong written, personal, and computer skills. Ability to communicate clearly and appropriately at the executive leadership level and on the shop floor.

• Passion for spaceflight and space exploration.

• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and strengthen our 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.

Desired:

• Tooling and fixture