Sr. Manager, Manufacturing Technology & Vendor Management DFX Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN • Cupertino, CA

23d • $183,807 - $257,329

About The Position

This role is part of Blue Origin Operations, which is comprised of Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. This includes Manufacturing and Supply Chain support across all Blue Origin facilities. Blue Origin's Emerging Systems business unit is building TeraWave, a satellite communications constellation powered by the most advanced optical communications architecture ever attempted: thousands of optically interconnected satellites delivering symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth, providing enterprise and hyperscale customers with resilient, scalable connectivity for critical operations where terrestrial infrastructure cannot reach. As a Senior Manufacturing Technology & Vendor Management DFX Engineer, you will own the end-to-end manufacturing technology evaluation and supplier/vendor integration for TeraWave production — bridging emerging manufacturing technologies, external supplier capabilities, and volume production readiness. As a foundational element of TeraWave operations, hardware must leverage manufacturing technologies and supplier partnerships architected not only for capability but for manufacturability, testability, reliability, and serviceability at constellation scale. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has evaluated, qualified, and scaled manufacturing technologies and managed supplier relationships in fast-moving, high-volume manufacturing environments and wants to apply that experience to hardware operating at orbital scale.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing technology, process engineering, or supplier/vendor management in a product development and volume production environment.
• Experience evaluating, qualifying, and adopting manufacturing technologies and managing external supplier capabilities for complex hardware.
• Hands-on experience with supplier qualification, process transfer, technology assessment, and production line integration.
• Demonstrated application of DFX principles (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR) in bringing manufacturing technologies and supplier processes from evaluation into volume production.
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering.
• 15+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with advanced manufacturing technologies (automation, additive manufacturing, robotics, precision machining) and emerging technology evaluation.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and technology partnerships in high-volume production environments.
• Experience with technology and supplier qualification for space, aviation, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
• Experience with supply chain strategy, sourcing, and capacity planning.
• Background in production hardware including comprehensive DFX practices (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR), process optimization, supply chain coordination, and yield optimization at scale.
• Hands-on experience with production ramp and factory scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Lead evaluation and adoption of manufacturing technologies for satellite modules and subsystems: advanced processes, tooling, automation, and new equipment capabilities that enable constellation-scale production.
• Own vendor and supplier management for manufacturing — including capability assessment, qualification, process transfer, and integration workflows — to ensure robust, repeatable external production.
• Manage supplier BOM and capacity coordination, technology roadmap alignment, vendor performance oversight, and production line integration.
• Drive supplier first-article inspection, process validation, technology qualification, and manufacturing readiness reviews to support production ramp.
• Drive Design for Excellence (DFX) principles — DFM, DFT, DFA, DFR, and DFS — across the full manufacturing technology and vendor management lifecycle to ensure hardware scales from prototype through volume production for TeraWave operations.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Evaluate and align manufacturing technologies and supplier capabilities with product design to maximize yield and minimize cost at constellation-scale production volumes.
• Design for Test (DFT): Ensure supplier and technology processes integrate test, inspection, and data capture to enable efficient factory acceptance and in-field diagnostics.
• Design for Assembly (DFA): Leverage manufacturing technologies and supplier processes to simplify assembly, reduce part count, and reduce cycle time, rework, and error rates on the line.
• Design for Reliability (DFR): Apply technology and supplier process FMEA, qualification testing, and reliability prediction to ensure consistent, defect-free production supporting long-duration operation in the orbital environment.
• Design for Serviceability/Supply Chain (DFS): Drive supplier standardization, second-sourcing strategies, technology roadmap alignment, and obsolescence mitigation across the production lifecycle.
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, engineering, and supply chain teams define acceptance criteria, drive yield optimization, and support production ramp for sustained TeraWave operations.

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: Senior