Sr. Director, Volume Manufacturing Strategy

BLUE ORIGIN•Hutto, TX

13d

About The Position

The Sr. Director, Volume Manufacturing Strategy is the leader and representative for TeraWave Manufacturing locations, responsible for all aspects of a high-rate production site. The role oversees the systematic planning, release, scheduling, and coordination of manufacturing activities, including the flow of work and materials within and between departments and the coordination of hardware between work centers and sites. The position owns manufacturing readiness across integration and test, manufacturing engineering, development test, development machining and fabrication, tooling, automation, and production. It also oversees site planning, facility expansion, business operations, and day-to-day office management. The leader maintains facility standards, builds a positive site culture, and develops community relationships while balancing operational excellence with strategic community integration and representing Blue Origin’s mission and values. This role 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. Applicants must meet the stated U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, refugee, or asylum status requirements. Background checks apply as described in the posting.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing environments, preferably aerospace, space systems, or similarly complex high-reliability industries.
Demonstrated personal leadership of all aspects of a manufacturing site, including production operations, manufacturing engineering, site planning and expansion, facility buildout, tooling, automation, business operations, and day-to-day office and site management.
Proven experience scaling production from low-rate initial production or development runs to high-rate manufacturing, including establishing factories or work centers alongside product development and increasing production output substantially.
Hands-on experience building precision manufacturing capability, including high-tolerance machining work centers and advanced composites production involving prepreg layup, AFP, cure, NDE, bonding, and structural integration.
Experience developing an annual operating plan and managing budgets for capital equipment, facility expansion, and employee engagement initiatives.
Demonstrated stakeholder management and community relations skills, including government and executive-level interactions.
Strong employee relations, people leadership, communication, and public speaking skills.
Experience managing cross-functional teams spanning engineering, quality, tooling, automation, and operations, and influencing executive decisions on complex initiatives.
Deep background in quality systems and manufacturing engineering, including direct authorship and implementation of quality management processes for AS9100 compliance, Work Order Controls, Configuration Management and Change Control, Control of Nonconforming Hardware, and RCCA.
Track record of successful employee engagement programs.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate across engineering, operations, quality, and business functions.
Collaborative leadership style that builds trust and commitment in large, technically diverse teams.
Proactive problem-solving and decision-making ability in fast-paced, high-consequence production environments while maintaining schedule, quality, and safety.
Commitment to internal and external community development and representing the company’s mission in the broader community.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
Must complete the applicable background checks; additional checks or qualifications may apply to certain job profiles.

Nice To Haves

Manufacturing leadership experience in aerospace, space systems, or similarly complex high-reliability industries.
Experience scaling a factory from development runs of tens of units to a production rate of 30–45 units per week.
Experience standing up machining work centers capable of single-digit micron tolerances on critical products.
Experience delivering operational results in high-cadence, mission-critical production environments.
Experience building factory capacity concurrently with product design while meeting launch cadence targets without sacrificing quality or schedule.

Responsibilities

Oversee site appearance, maintenance, and safety standards; drive continuous improvement in site conditions and operational efficiency.
Coordinate with facilities management on infrastructure needs, factory expansions, and new capability buildouts alongside active product development.
Promote a safety culture through onboarding and other communication channels.
Ensure site security protocols are followed and coordinate communication about restrictions, closures, and reopening related to launches, product testing, or weather incidents.
Manage facility tours and visits by dignitaries, including government and executive-level visitors.
Determine site space utilization, including office planning, production floor layout, material movement, and storage requirements.
Lead site hardware and operations end-to-end, including manufacturing and production, site planning and expansion, and business operations liaison responsibilities.
Own site manufacturing disciplines, including integration and test, manufacturing engineering, development test, development machining and fabrication, tooling, automation, and production.
Lead site-wide engagement initiatives with engagement teams, Business Resource Groups, or other planning teams; maintain communication channels to inform and engage site employees.
Represent Blue Origin with local government officials and community organizations, at local and industry events, and in local government forums; collaborate on site-specific public relations.
Coordinate preparation and communication of monthly site operating results to product line and business leaders.
Participate in operational reviews, safety meetings, and internal and external audits.
Serve as a quality and operations representative during anomaly investigations and return-to-flight activities.
Champion company values and align corporate vision with site execution, bridging product development and manufacturing to support production ramp timelines.
Develop long-range factory strategy while building capacity and managing day-to-day site operations across manufacturing disciplines.
Manage budgets and operating plans for capital equipment, facility expansion, and employee engagement initiatives.
Manage cross-functional technical teams and complex initiatives, influencing executive decisions.

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 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
Employees may be eligible for bonuses, depending on role type, job level, and other factors; amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed