Director - Manufacturing, Ops & Assembly Electric Propulsion

Blue Origin•Hutto, TX

About The Position

Blue Origin is seeking a Director to own manufacturing outcomes for its electric propulsion thruster product line and transition it from development hardware into rate production. The Director will be the single-threaded Operations leader accountable for production rate, quality, cost, and people, with authority over the program’s in-program production flow. This is a build-it role focused on defining value streams, integrating support organizations, and creating the team and processes needed to operate the production line while product design is still active. The role owns the strategy and roadmap for manufacturing outcomes, builds the production organization, and establishes the plan and evidence required to achieve sustained rate production. The Director will lead the qualification of tooling, processes, and work instructions; drive producibility into product design; manage the manufacturing bill of materials as configuration changes; and establish working interfaces with quality, supply chain, material planning, and test operations. The role also owns the program’s manufacturing operating budget and capital plan, and sets the safety and quality culture for the growing production team. The position is part of Blue Origin Operations, which includes Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance, and provides manufacturing and supply-chain support across Blue Origin facilities. Frequent travel to other Blue Origin sites, up to approximately 35%, is required. Applicants must meet the stated U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, refugee, or asylum status requirements. The Washington base pay range is $203,165.00–$284,430.30; ranges at other sites may differ.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or technical discipline.
12+ years of experience in manufacturing, production, supply chain, or operations, including 5+ years leading manufacturing organizations.
Direct, hands-on experience taking a new product or production line from development into rate production.
Experience carrying a product through a production-readiness or rate-readiness gate and owning the cycle-time and capability evidence presented at the gate.
Experience building an organization, including defining structure, hiring leaders, and developing a team through significant growth.
Line management experience with both salaried professionals and craft or technician populations.
Ability to operate in ambiguity by making defensible assumptions, moving forward with incomplete definitions, and correcting course as information arrives.
Ability to travel frequently, up to approximately 35%, to other Blue Origin sites.
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

15+ years of manufacturing and operations experience.
Propulsion, spacecraft, satellite, or other high-reliability, low-volume hardware experience.
Experience transitioning a product from low-volume, high-mix build into repeatable rate production.
Demonstrated cycle-time or throughput improvement with measured results.
Experience standing up production at a new or greenfield manufacturing site.
Experience managing a build against a bill of materials that changed materially during production ramp.
Formal lean or continuous-improvement training, with applied results on a production line.
Master’s degree in engineering or a technical field, or an MBA.

Responsibilities

Own the strategy, roadmap, and priorities for manufacturing outcomes of the electric propulsion thruster line, including delivery rate, quality, cost, and production personnel.
Build the production organization by defining value streams, establishing production control and manufacturing engineering, and hiring and developing leaders as the program scales.
Own the plan for transition from development build to sustained rate production, including cycle-time evidence at the rate-readiness gate.
Lead qualification of tooling, processes, and work instructions needed for repeatable rate production.
Drive producibility into the product during design.
Own the manufacturing view of the bill of materials as product configuration evolves.
Establish and own the program’s working interfaces with quality, supply chain, material planning, and test operations.
Build and manage the program’s manufacturing operating budget and capital plan, with responsibility for product delivery at cost and rate.
Set and maintain the safety and quality culture as the production organization grows.
Travel frequently, up to approximately 35%, to other Blue Origin sites.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Basic and supplemental life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability.
401(k) with company match of up to 5%.
Education Support Program.
Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week.
Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours.
Up to 14 company-paid holidays.
Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on company intent and other factors; bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and may change or be canceled.