Director, Operations Site Activation

Blue Origin•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

Blue Origin Operations is seeking a Director, Operations Site Activation to lead the development of a new, greenfield production site intended to reach full-rate production by the end of the decade. This role owns the activation journey from site planning and building delivery through capital equipment procurement, installation, commissioning, and production-area readiness. The goal is to hand over a site ready to staff, qualify, and operate a production system. As the facility transitions into steady-state production, the role is expected to grow into site leadership. The Director reports to the Senior Director, Operations and partners with Facilities and Real Estate, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Environmental Health and Safety, Finance, and Program leadership. The position owns the site and facility plan, construction and equipment schedules, capital budget, activation readiness, permitting and compliance, and the activation team. It requires direct accountability for coordinating construction, utilities, equipment delivery and commissioning, and production readiness across internal teams and external contractors and vendors.

Requirements

15 or more years of progressive manufacturing, operations, or industrial project experience, including at least 5 years leading managers.
Personal accountability for activating a greenfield or major brownfield manufacturing facility from construction through equipment installation to production.
Ownership of a capital equipment program of $100 million or greater, including procurement, installation, and commissioning of production machinery.
Working command of construction delivery, including design and construction contracting methods, general contractor and architect-engineer management, and construction schedule logic.
Experience with machine tool installation, commissioning, and acceptance, including the ability to assess whether a machine is capable, not merely installed.
Demonstrated ability to hold schedules under pressure across contractors, equipment vendors, utilities, and permitting authorities.
Track record delivering a facility against requirements owned by other leaders and maintaining the schedule without owning the decisions behind it.
Comfort working in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where the production system and facility are being defined in parallel.
Curiosity about AI-enabled workflows and willingness to build without traditional support structures.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident and current Green Card holder, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or an MBA.
Professional Engineer, PMP, or Certified Construction Manager credential.
Heavy industrial, semiconductor, automotive, or aerospace factory startup experience.
Experience with large machining centers, welding and joining, additive manufacturing, or specialty furnace and thermal processing installations.
Experience siting and permitting industrial facilities with significant utility or environmental requirements.
Subsequent site leadership of a facility personally activated.
Familiarity with Coupa, Costpoint, or similar procurement and capital tracking systems.

Responsibilities

Own the site and facility plan, integrating Value Stream layouts, material flow, utility and infrastructure needs, and the growth path to full-rate production.
Translate production-system needs into building requirements early enough to influence facility design.
Partner with Real Estate, Facilities, and Legal on site selection, lease or purchase, permitting, and construction contracting.
Manage architects, engineers, general contractors, and trades against scope, schedule, and cost.
Own the capital equipment program, including vendor selection, purchasing, deposits, delivery, rigging, installation, commissioning, and acceptance.
Build and manage equipment schedules around long-lead constraints, driving order-by dates.
Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Legal, and Finance on capital proposals, business cases, deposit structures, and payment milestones.
Ensure installation readiness, including foundations, utilities, tooling, fixtures, metrology, and required trade and vendor resources.
Own the integrated activation schedule covering construction, utilities, equipment delivery, installation, and commissioning, sequenced to Operations and Value Stream ramp dates.
Define site readiness criteria with Operations and Value Stream leaders and run readiness gates for production areas.
Establish site support services, including facilities maintenance, utilities, equipment spares, and tool crib.
Hand over production areas with commissioned equipment and verified utilities so manufacturing leaders can begin process qualification.
Own environmental health and safety during construction, installation, and activation, including contractor safety and transition to operational safety programs.
Own the permitting path and regulatory interface, including building, environmental, and utility approvals.
Establish site compliance and security requirements with responsible functions.
Represent site and capital schedule status in executive program reviews, surfacing schedule risks early and presenting recovery positions.
Own the capital budget and report cost and commitment performance to Program and Finance leadership.
Partner with Value Stream leaders and Manufacturing Engineering to translate layout, capital, and headcount plans into site and installation requirements.
Build and lead the activation team, developing it into the permanent site organization.
Within the first 12 months, secure approval of the site and facility plan with integrated Value Stream layouts and utility requirements; baseline the capital equipment list and set long-lead order-by dates; place critical-path purchase orders; integrate construction and equipment installation in one schedule with risks and recovery positions; agree on site readiness criteria; and hire the activation team.

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.
Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours.
Up to 14 company-paid holidays.
Depending on role type and job level, potential eligibility for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions, company results, or other factors; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and may change or be canceled.