Lead Technician Supervisor - Solar Center of Excellence

BLUE ORIGIN • Houston, TX

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Application close date: Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed. 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 is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design. As part of a hardworking team of specialists, technicians, and engineers, you will be the central figure responsible for standing up a brand-new solar array manufacturing cell and getting it to the point where it can reliably produce flight hardware. The Solar Center of Excellence is building world-class capabilities in solar array development—from materials and processes through assembly, test, and qualification—and you will be on the floor every day making it happen. If you lead by example, take pride in workmanship, and want to build the team and processes that will power humanity's future in space, this is the role for you. Special Mentions: Relocation provided Travel expected up to 15% of the time Interviews will include a practical/technical assessment

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent; Associate's degree or technical certification in electronics, manufacturing, or a related discipline preferred
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in aerospace or high-reliability electronics manufacturing, with at least 2 years in a lead or supervisory role
• Experience with solar panel or photovoltaic assembly processes: cell tabbing and stringing, lamination, encapsulation, and electrical test
• Demonstrated ability to read and execute engineering drawings, work instructions, and traveler work orders; experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES) for traceability and build documentation
• Working knowledge of nonconformance identification, documentation, and disposition processes
• Experience enforcing ESD, cleanroom, FOD, and contamination controls in a production environment
• Strong communication skills and ability to work daily with engineering teams to surface process issues and close on corrective actions
• Desire/drive to build something from scratch and continuously improve processes in a fast-moving R&D environment

Nice To Haves

• Experience commissioning new manufacturing equipment or standing up a new production line from scratch
• Familiarity with electroluminescence (EL) imaging, IV flash testing, or other in-line solar panel inspection techniques
• Experience with wing-level or system-level aerospace hardware integration, including harness routing and connector installation
• Familiarity with NASA-STD-8739.x workmanship standards or equivalent high-reliability assembly standards
• Experience with takt-rate-driven production planning and workflow optimization in a low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing environment
• IPC or NASA workmanship certifications (e.g., IPC-A-610, NASA-STD-8739.4)

Responsibilities

• Lead equipment commissioning and process qualification for a new solar array manufacturing cell — working hands-on alongside engineers to receive, install, and check out capital equipment before releasing each station for production use
• Own the panel build sequence from incoming material receipt through final electrical test; manage receiving inspections, shelf-life and storage controls, and serial-number traceability for all incoming materials
• Recognize and disposition material and workmanship nonconformances at each process step — holding, reworking, or rejecting hardware as appropriate — and ensure every decision is fully documented and traceable to the affected assembly
• Write and execute traveler work orders in the manufacturing execution system; establish and maintain the documentation infrastructure for a new product line including work instructions, checklists, and build records
• Train and supervise a team of technicians to execute each process step to a consistent standard; set daily priorities, manage workflow, and maintain line cadence against schedule targets
• Act as workflow architect for the production cell: identify cycle-time bottlenecks, define safe parallel operations, and sequence work to protect schedule margin and minimize scrap and rework
• Lead technicians through wing-level and array-level integration — including structural assembly, harness routing, connector installations, and launch retention hardware — with awareness of how bench decisions affect both electrical performance and mechanical function
• Coordinate with the test team to prepare completed assemblies for deployment demonstration and development test campaigns, ensuring correct configuration, proper GSE interface torque, and gravity off-load system setup prior to any test cycle
• Capture cycle times, identify steps requiring better tooling or process controls, and feed lessons learned back to engineering to build the institutional knowledge base for full-rate production

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.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• 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
• Education Level: High school or GED