Engineer – Manufacturing Sr

Application close date:

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!

Job Description

Blue Origin is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to serve as the Manufacturing Engineering Subject Matter Expert for the new Electric Propulsion program. The Electric Propulsion Production Team will be responsible for transitioning Electric Propulsion Thruster variants from design into high-rate production. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role reporting directly to the Director of Operations.

This person will have impact from day one on setting the manufacturing standard, driving speed and decisiveness, developing processes, tooling, procedures, and building the ME capability of the entire team to deliver electric propulsion systems at rate.

This is not a role for someone who optimizes things that shouldn't exist. We need someone who can identify waste at its root, eliminate it, and teach others to do the same.

Key Responsibilities:

ME Leadership

• Serve as the Manufacturing Engineering SME across the Electric Propulsion value stream
• Establish and enforce manufacturing best practices; mentor and guide MEs at all levels to raise the technical floor of the entire organization
• Drive a culture of speed, decisiveness, and first-principles thinking - challenge MEs to eliminate processes that shouldn't exist before optimizing the ones that should
• Represent Manufacturing Engineering in high-visibility program forums, design reviews, and leadership readouts
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex manufacturing problems; break down ambiguous failures to their root physical and materials-level causes

Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFx)

• Provide assertive, data-backed DFM feedback to design engineers - including those resistant to change - and drive producibility improvements that reduce cost and cycle time

• Engage early in the design lifecycle to influence hardware before it becomes expensive to change

• Lead DFM/DFA reviews
• Apply first-principles and materials science knowledge to evaluate design decisions at the physics level, not just the process level

Production Standup & New Product Introduction

• Lead manufacturing engineering support for the standup of the Electric Propulsion production line, from pilot through high-rate production
• Drive the transition from development to production: define processes, write work instructions, establish tooling and fixturing, and own the manufacturing readiness of the value stream
• Lead, execute, or assist the standup of manufacturing cells or lines as the program scales

Technical Foundation & Process Engineering Ownership

• Draw on direct prior experience authoring work instructions, managing manufacturing BOMs, and developing process documentation - applying that foundation to review, approve, and elevate the work of others rather than executing it day-to-day
• Develop, document, and qualify manufacturing processes for Electric Propulsion Thruster components and assemblies
• Apply first-principles and materials-level thinking to develop robust processes for precision assembly, machining, joining, and propulsion subsystems
• Drive continuous improvement using lean principles; eliminate non-value-added work at its root
• Establish process controls, quality gates, and inspection plans that scale with production rate increases
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for non-conformances; conduct FMEAs and drive lessons learned back into the design and process baseline

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure producibility, cost efficiency, and schedule alignment
• Partner with Technicians and IEs on the floor to solve problems in real time and transfer manufacturing knowledge
• Partner with supply chain on make/buy decisions; develop and qualify suppliers for critical manufacturing processes

Automation Strategy & Implementation

• Lead the identification, strategy development, and implementation of manufacturing automation
• Drive automation stand-up from concept through commissioning - whether executing directly or overseeing implementation through others
• Develop and deploy AI-assisted manufacturing tools including but not limited to vision-based inspection systems, predictive quality analytics, and process optimization algorithms
• Leverage AI productivity tools to accelerate engineering analysis, troubleshooting, and documentation workflows across the ME team
• Build the team's capability and comfort with AI-enabled engineering - this person leads by example

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or Materials Science Engineering from an accredited university - this role requires deep hardware and materials fluency; process or systems-focused backgrounds alone will not be sufficient
• 8+ years of direct manufacturing engineering experience in a production or development-to-production environment
• 5+ years of experience authoring work instructions and managing manufacturing BOMs for complex hardware - this is a foundation, not a day-to-day expectation of the role
• Demonstrated hands-on experience manufacturing propulsion or aerospace hardware - you must know how to build the hardware, not just document it
• Proven ability to deliver assertive DFM feedback to design engineers and drive design changes in a cross-functional environment
• Demonstrated ability to break down complex manufacturing failures to first-principles and materials-level root causes
• Experience across multiple manufacturing domains including at minimum: precision assembly, welding, machining, and fluid/propulsion systems
• Experience supporting or leading NPI and transition-to-production efforts
• Experience leading or executing the stand-up of an automated manufacturing line or cell
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and elevate the technical capability of other engineers

Preferred Qualifications:

• Materials science background or demonstrated ability to apply materials-level thinking to manufacturing process development and failure analysis
• Experience developing or deploying AI-assisted manufacturing tools (vision inspection, predictive quality, process optimization)
• Experience using AI productivity tools to accelerate engineering workflows and building that capability in others
• Experience with Hall-Effect Thrusters (HET), Gridded Ion Engines, or similar electric propulsion system assembly and integration
• Experience with ceramic, ferromagnetic alloy, or refractory metal machining and manufacturing processes for aerospace applications
• Experience with thruster hot-fire vacuum acceptance testing
• Experience machining additively manufactured parts (post-processing, fixturing, tolerance management)
• Background in rocket engine or propulsion system manufacturing (liquid, electric, or cold gas thrusters)
• Experience at a high-velocity aerospace manufacturer where speed, decisiveness, and elimination of waste are cultural norms
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
• Proficiency in CAD software (Creo or CATIA preferred) and PLM/MRP systems (Windchill, Teamcenter, or equivalent)

Base Pay Range for:

Other site ranges may differ

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

• Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check
• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation
• Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

Benefits

• Benefits include: 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.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on “Know Your Rights,” please see here.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.