Design for Manufacturing Lead - New Glenn Payload Accommodation

BLUE ORIGIN•Seattle, WA

11d•$169,624 - $237,473

About The Position

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 Manufacturing Technology Lead for the Payload Accommodation Development (PA-Dev) program, you will be directly embedded within the engineering design team — not in a support or advisory capacity, but as a core member of the design organization influencing decisions in real time. You will spearhead efforts to optimize designs for high-volume production, cost efficiency, and payload fairing reusability. This position requires expertise in advanced manufacturing technologies, high-rate production, and design for reuse to drive meaningful design improvements that reduce production costs, simplify assembly and refurbishment processes, enable higher production rates, and extend hardware service life across multiple flights while maintaining or enhancing performance and reliability.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering
10+ years of experience in manufacturing, production, or design engineering roles
8+ years of experience applying DFx methodologies in aerospace or similar high-complexity industries
Demonstrated experience working embedded within engineering design teams, influencing design decisions directly rather than through after-the-fact review
Demonstrated experience in cost analysis, value engineering, and design optimization
Familiarity with modern manufacturing technologies and processes relevant to aerospace structures and propulsion systems
Strong understanding of engineering design processes, CAD/CAM systems, and PLM tools
Experience with production rate modeling and manufacturing system design
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
Ability to influence senior technical decision-makers and drive change across organizational boundaries
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

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, or related field
10+ years of experience in aerospace manufacturing or production engineering
Systems engineering background with experience in requirements flowdown, interface management, and integration across design, manufacturing, and operations domains
Direct experience with liquid rocket engine design, manufacturing, or testing
Direct experience with design for reuse, refurbishment, or multi-mission hardware lifecycle management
Experience with composite structures, marine environment durability, or corrosion-resistant design for hardware exposed to saltwater recovery
Experience implementing Model-Based Definition (MBD) and integrating engineering data with MRP/ERP systems
Direct experience with high-rate manufacturing of low-cost products, such as automotive or consumer products
Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies
Knowledge of advanced manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing, automated welding, automated fiber placement, and precision machining as applied to aerospace structures and propulsion systems
Experience with design optimization software and simulation tools (e.g., FEA for reuse load cases, rigid body dynamics for recovery analysis)
Background in supplier development and manufacturing technology transfer
Project management experience with demonstrated cost reduction achievements
Experience with production cost modeling and analysis tools
Certification in DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) or similar

Responsibilities

Serve as the manufacturing technology authority embedded directly in the PA-Dev engineering team, participating in daily design decisions, trade studies, and technical reviews as a peer to design engineers
Lead cross-functional DFx team activities to identify design optimization opportunities focused on manufacturing cost reduction, production scalability, and reusability
Develop and implement DFx guidelines, standards, and processes specifically tailored for the PA-Dev program and payload fairing reuse
Conduct detailed design reviews with manufacturing, production, and recovery operations teams to ensure designs are optimized for efficient production and multi-flight service
Perform cost modeling and analysis to identify high-cost components and processes, proposing design alternatives that maintain performance while reducing per-flight costs through reuse
Develop design criteria for payload fairing recovery and reuse, including saltwater exposure tolerance, inspection accessibility, refurbishment processes, and recertification requirements
Define manufacturing and material requirements that enable fairing structures to withstand repeated water landing loads, marine environment exposure, and handling during ship-based recovery operations
Collaborate with recovery operations teams to ensure fairing designs accommodate efficient retrieval from water, shipboard handling, transport, and turnaround processing
Collaborate with suppliers to optimize component designs for manufacturability, cost, and durability across multiple service cycles
Implement value engineering techniques to identify and eliminate unnecessary features or processes that add cost without proportional value, while ensuring reuse-critical features are preserved
Lead production rate analysis to identify bottlenecks and develop design improvements that enable higher throughput, incorporating refurbishment lines alongside new-build production
Drive design standardization and part count reduction initiatives to streamline manufacturing, assembly, and refurbishment processes
Oversee engineering adoption of Model-Based Definition (MBD), ensuring 3D product definitions are authoritative and integrated with downstream operations systems including MRP, and production planning tools
Integrate lessons learned from current production and fairing recovery operations to drive continuous improvement in design practices
Develop metrics and reporting systems to track DFx performance, cost reduction achievements, and reuse turnaround efficiency