Senior Manager, Structures & Mechanisms – Solar Center of Excellence

BLUE ORIGIN • Seattle, WA

4d • $183,807 - $257,329

About The Position

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 lead the mechanical engineering discipline within Blue Origin's Solar Center of Excellence—a team dedicated to revolutionizing how we design, build, and deploy solar power systems for space. From enabling in-space mobility and logistics to supporting sustainable operations beyond Earth, the Solar Center of Excellence is developing next-generation solar array technology that will dramatically reduce cost while achieving unprecedented levels of performance. In this role, you will shape the mechanical engineering strategy for structures and mechanisms across our entire solar portfolio, helping to establish the power infrastructure that will support humanity's future in space. If you are passionate about leading teams, building flight hardware, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Space Engineering, or related technical discipline
• 8–12 years of experience in mechanical design and engineering, with emphasis on aerospace structures and mechanisms for spaceflight applications
• Demonstrated hands-on experience as a hardware lead for complex deployable mechanisms or flight hardware assemblies
• Experience taking mechanical hardware from design through assembly, integration, test, qualification, and flight delivery
• Track record of leading verification and validation (V&V) activities for flight hardware or systems
• Working knowledge of aerospace materials, manufacturing processes, and quality systems
• Strong understanding of structural analysis methods and mechanical testing requirements for spaceflight hardware
• Experience collaborating with manufacturing and operations teams to transition designs to production
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and compressed timelines
• Excellent communication skills with ability to present technical information to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Space Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
• Experience with deployable space structures, separation systems, or precision mechanism hardware for interplanetary or orbital missions
• Background in design-for-manufacturing and design-for-cost methodologies
• Experience establishing and scaling engineering teams in a rapid-growth environment
• Familiarity with systems engineering principles and fault management considerations for mechanical systems
• Experience mentoring or instructing engineers in technical fundamentals and engineering best practices
• Prior experience in a Center of Excellence or shared services engineering organization supporting multiple programs simultaneously

Responsibilities

• Leading and managing a team of mechanical engineers responsible for structures and mechanisms design across all Solar Center of Excellence (SCOE) programs – both current and emerging projects
• Providing technical oversight for solar array deployment mechanism development
• Serving as the Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead for all mechanical engineering scope, driving cross-functional coordination and technical execution
• Driving design standardization for mechanical interfaces, planform sizes, and deployment systems across Blue Origin programs to reduce non-recurring engineering costs and accelerate development timelines
• Collaborating with Operations, Facilities, and Manufacturing teams to ensure seamless transition of mechanical designs from prototype to full-rate production
• Establishing and maintaining aggressive cost and performance targets for deployment mechanisms while ensuring flight reliability
• Leading hardware assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) activities for complex deployable mechanisms
• Managing mechanical design trade studies to optimize mass, specific power, and cost for solar array systems
• Overseeing verification and validation (V&V) planning and execution for mechanical hardware and mechanisms
• Supporting supplier engagement and qualification for specialized mechanical components, tooling, and fixtures
• Managing resource planning, hiring, performance management, and career development for mechanical engineering staff
• Mentoring and developing junior engineers, fostering technical growth across the team
• Driving continuous improvement initiatives to feed forward lessons learned from prototype lines into full-rate manufacturing planning

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)
• 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: Senior