Cost Leader - New Glenn 9x4

BLUE ORIGIN • West Melbourne, WA

4d

About The Position

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. As the Cost Leader for New Glenn 9x4, you will own the end to end cost planning and performance of our next generation New Glenn launch system. You will partner closely with New Glenn Element Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Program Management, Operations, and Finance to define target economics, drive design to cost decisions, and eliminate cost throughout the full life cycle of the rocket's development through operation to ensure achievement of the long range business case for New Glenn 9x4. You will build and maintain a transparent cost model for the vehicle, ground systems, and operations; identify the key cost drivers; and lead cross functional efforts to remove cost while protecting safety, reliability, and schedule. This role is highly visible and central to enabling New Glenn to scale to high rate while meeting Blue's financial and strategic objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Finance, Economics, Business, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in cost engineering, product cost management, corporate finance, or strategy within aerospace, automotive, or other complex hardware/manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience building and owning bottom-up cost models for complex products or systems.
• Strong understanding of:
• Recurring vs. non-recurring cost, fixed vs. variable cost
• CapEx/OpEx tradeoffs and basic investment metrics (NPV, IRR, breakeven)
• Proven ability to partner with engineering and operations to drive cost informed design and production decisions.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel/Sheets and at least one analytics / BI or modeling tool (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Python, or similar).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including building clear, concise business cases and presenting to senior leaders.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree (MBA, MS in Engineering, Operations Research, or similar).
• Experience on launch vehicle, spacecraft, or other space hardware programs.
• Direct involvement in:
• Design to cost or value engineering initiatives
• High rate production ramp ups
• Site selection / industrial footprint or large CapEx decisions
• Experience supporting or leading pricing and commercial strategy for large, multi-year programs.
• Familiarity with government co-investment / subsidy structures and how they impact program economics.
• Comfort operating in high ambiguity, early architecture phases and iterating rapidly as designs and requirements mature.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience using AI and automation to improve workflows and cost management.
• Experience with Monte Carlo simulation, cost risk analysis, and probabilistic modeling techniques
• Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) methodologies for large aerospace programs
• Experience optimizing costs while maintaining supply chain resilience against disruptions
• Experience adapting cost models and targets in iterative development environments
• Understanding of how sustainability requirements and carbon considerations impact lifecycle costs
• Proven ability to drive organizational change around cost discipline
• Experience with competitive benchmarking and market analysis techniques in aerospace or adjacent industries

Responsibilities

• Serve as the single threaded owner for New Glenn 9x4 cost, ensuring alignment between Finance, Program Management, and technical teams.
• Own the integrated cost model for New Glenn 9x4 (vehicle, ground, launch ops), including:
• Recurring and non-recurring costs
• Direct vs. indirect cost elements
• CapEx and OpEx implications of rate and architecture choices
• Define and maintain cost targets (e.g., cost per flight, cost per kg, unit BOM cost, launch site cost envelopes) aligned with the New Glenn business case.
• Partner with Systems Engineering and Design to:
• Embed design to cost into requirement flowdown and trade studies
• Evaluate architecture options (e.g., reusability, staging, engine count, propellant choices, ground configuration) through the lens of life cycle economics
• Quantify IRR / NPV impacts of key design decisions and rate assumptions
• Work with Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Industrial Engineering to:
• Translate cost targets into actionable make buy, process, and rate plans
• Identify and deliver material, labor, and overhead reduction opportunities
• Support negotiations and sourcing strategies for major cost drivers (engines, structures, avionics, ground infrastructure, logistics)
• Develop and maintain scenario based cost views (e.g., low rate vs. entitlement rate, alternative launch site mixes, government co-investment cases).
• Provide the cost backbone for program decisions, including:
• Major design reviews, PDR/CDR
• Site selection and launch infrastructure trade studies
• Make/buy and capital approval packages
• Build clear, executive ready cost reporting and dashboards that connect:
• Cost performance vs. targets
• Drivers behind variances
• Actions and decisions required to recover or exceed plan
• Lead quantitative cost risk analysis and uncertainty modeling to establish confidence levels for budget forecasts and support decision-making
• Develop and apply learning/experience curve models to accurately predict cost reduction through high-rate production
• Foster a cost-conscious culture across teams, including training and toolkits for managers to make everyday cost-informed decisions
• Track and analyze market intelligence on competitor costs, architecture choices, and manufacturing approaches

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level