Sr Director, Launch Vehicles

Blue Origin•Space Coast, FL

About The Position

The Senior Director for Launch Vehicles owns the technical strategy, operational execution, and organizational leadership for preparing New Glenn boosters, second stages, and payloads for flight. Reporting to the Vice President of Launch Operations, the role leads teams responsible for flown-booster refurbishment and inspection, booster and second-stage integration, payload attachment and preparation, and development of vertical vehicle integration capability for Blue Origin’s next-generation vehicle. The position builds on current horizontal integration operations and lessons learned. This mission-critical leader is expected to drive results, improve established practices, and remain hands-on with engineers and technicians when needed, including during overnight work. Long-term success means developing the people, processes, and discipline required for fast, repeatable vehicle preparation and launch cadence. The role requires detailed, quantitative command of the work, including individual work orders, and accountability for improving turnaround time, refurbishment capacity, and launch readiness. Applicants must meet Blue Origin’s U.S. employment eligibility requirements. Background checks apply to all positions, with additional checks or qualifications applicable to certain job profiles. Benefits and bonus eligibility may vary by role and job level; bonuses are not guaranteed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Industrial Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience building and leading complex vehicle or aircraft programs.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience building, integrating, or maintaining complex vehicles, aircraft, or other high-reliability systems in aerospace, defense, marine, oil and gas, or similar heavy/complex-machine environments.
Senior leadership experience with budget and resource management responsibility for technical or operational organizations.
Experience managing multidisciplinary teams at scale, including leadership through subordinate managers or directors.
Demonstrated track record of measurable rate or throughput improvements in a complex manufacturing, assembly, or operations environment.
Demonstrated track record of establishing and sustaining a high-standard safety culture in environments with significant personnel, process, or material hazards.
Demonstrated ability to make high-stakes technical and operational decisions under schedule pressure.
Strong executive presence and excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior executives.
Strategic thinking, bias for action, and a record of hands-on operational execution.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in final assembly, integration, or maintenance of military or civilian aircraft, weapons systems, or launch vehicles.
Full lifecycle experience in vehicle assembly, integration, test, or manufacturing, from requirements through production.
Track record of taking a new vehicle, aircraft, or complex product from first-unit production to rate production.
Hands-on experience as an aircraft mechanic or similar trade, and/or as a manufacturing engineer.
Working knowledge of aerospace standards and workmanship requirements.
Track record of challenging engineering requirements and driving design changes that improve manufacturability or maintainability.
Experience building or scaling an engineering or technical organization from a nascent, dependent state to self-sufficiency.
Master’s degree in a related engineering field, or an MBA.

Responsibilities

Own technical strategy and standards for refurbishing, integrating, and preparing New Glenn boosters, second stages, and payloads for launch.
Architect a vertical vehicle integration capability for Blue Origin’s larger next-generation vehicle, applying lessons from current horizontal integration operations.
Set and enforce standards for clear, sequenced, measurable, shift-completable work orders so launch readiness is based on objective data.
Partner with vehicle design and engineering teams to challenge requirements and drive design changes that improve buildability, inspectability, and refurbishment safety and speed.
Oversee vehicle preparation across flown-booster inspection, refurbishment and re-certification; booster and second-stage integration; and payload attachment.
Provide technical and operational authority across booster refurbishment, vehicle integration, payload attachment, and vertical integration functions.
Manage technical and schedule risk across vehicle preparation, personally driving recovery plans when schedules slip.
Perpetuate a high-standard safety culture across vehicle preparation work.
Work directly with engineers and technicians to solve problems on the vehicle when the mission requires it, at any hour.
Act as the primary point of contact between vehicle preparation teams and New Glenn vehicle design and engineering, pad, and recovery leadership.
Partner with business operations, including scheduling and operations analytics, to maintain an objective, data-driven view of remaining work and schedule risk.
Build internal engineering ownership and judgment, reducing reliance on engineering support borrowed from other Blue Origin programs.
Build, mentor, and develop leaders and engineers to run vehicle preparation at a substantially higher rate in a fast-growing organization.
Mature immature processes into fast, repeatable operations that do not depend on nightly heroics.
Foster a culture in which technicians and engineers are engaged with the mission and understand the purpose of their work.
Champion AI to reduce engineering workload, including work-order authoring, and accelerate the development of less experienced engineers.
Use data and numerical analysis to assess team performance, guide decisions, and communicate progress.
Present vehicle readiness, risk, and recovery plans clearly to senior executive leadership, including with little or no coaching.
Drive measurable improvement in vehicle turnaround time, refurbishment capacity, and launch readiness as launch cadence increases.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
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 all 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, possible benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions and company results