Director, Operations Site Activation

Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

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!

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.

Director, Operations Site Activation

The Mission

Blue Origin is building something new from the ground up — a high-growth, greenfield program targeting full-rate production by the end of this decade, with a hard schedule and a large capital program behind it. This isn't a role that maintains what exists. It builds what doesn't.

As Director, Operations Site Activation, you will own the full journey: site planning, building delivery, capital equipment procurement, installation, and commissioning — through to the moment each production area is ready to run. The end state is a site ready to staff, qualify, and run a production system. When this role is done, it evolves: as the facility transitions from activation into steady-state production, we expect you to grow into the site leader role.

This is a build-it role. It comes with real accountability and real stakes. The person who succeeds here has stood in a greenfield with a construction schedule, a machine list, and a production date — and has closed the gap between them before.

This role reports to the Senior Director, Operations and partners closely with Facilities and Real Estate, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Environmental Health and Safety, Finance, and Program leadership.

What You'll Own

Site Planning and Build

- Own the site and facility plan, integrating Value Stream layouts and material flow with utility and infrastructure requirements and the growth path to full rate
- Translate the production system into building requirements early enough to influence design rather than inherit it
- Partner with Real Estate, Facilities, and Legal through site selection, lease or purchase, permitting, and construction contracting
- Manage architects, engineers, general contractors, and trades against scope, schedule, and cost

Capital Equipment Procurement, Installation, and Commissioning

- Own execution of the capital equipment program against requirements set by Value Stream leaders: vendor selection, purchase, deposits, delivery, rigging, installation, commissioning, and acceptance
- Build and hold the equipment schedule against long-lead constraints; drive order-by dates rather than react to them
- Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Legal and Finance on capital proposals, business cases, deposit structures, and payment milestones
- Own installation readiness: foundations, utilities, tooling, fixtures, metrology, and the trades and vendor resources required to land equipment on schedule

Site Readiness and Handover

- Own the integrated activation schedule — construction, utilities, equipment delivery, installation, and commissioning — sequenced to the ramp dates set by Operations and Value Stream leaders
- Define site readiness criteria with Operations and Value Stream leaders, and run the readiness gate for each production area
- Establish site support services: facilities maintenance, utilities, equipment spares, and tool crib
- Hand over each production area with equipment commissioned and utilities verified, so manufacturing leaders can start qualifying the process rather than finishing the build

Safety, Permitting, and Compliance

- Own environmental health and safety during construction, installation, and activation, including contractor safety and the transition to operational safety programs
- Own the permitting path and regulatory interface, including building, environmental, and utility approvals
- Establish compliance and security requirements for the site in partnership with the responsible functions

Cross-Functional and Executive Engagement

- Represent site and capital schedule status in executive program reviews; surface schedule risk early with a recovery position
- Own the capital budget and report cost and commitment performance to Program and Finance leadership
- Partner with Value Stream leaders and Manufacturing Engineering to turn layout, capital, and headcount plans into site and installation requirements
- Build and lead the activation team, growing it into the permanent site organization

Your First 12 Months

Success at the one-year mark looks like:

- Site and facility plan approved, with Value Stream layouts integrated and utility requirements locked early enough to shape the building design
- Capital equipment list received from Value Stream leaders and baselined, with order-by dates set for long-lead machines and critical-path purchase orders placed
- Construction and equipment installation integrated into a single schedule, with risks and recovery positions reported in program reviews
- Site readiness criteria agreed with Value Stream leaders, and the activation team hired

What We're Looking For

You need to bring:

- 15+ years of progressive manufacturing, operations, or industrial project experience, including 5+ years leading managers
- Personal accountability for activating a greenfield or major brownfield manufacturing facility — from construction through equipment installation to production. Not supported it. Owned it.
- Ownership of a capital equipment program of $100M or greater, including procurement, installation, and commissioning of production machinery
- Working command of construction delivery: design and construction contracting methods, general contractor and architect-engineer management, and construction schedule logic
- Experience with machine tool installation, commissioning, and acceptance — the ability to judge whether a machine is actually capable, not only installed
- Demonstrated ability to hold a date under pressure across parties you do not control: contractors, equipment vendors, utilities, and permitting authorities
- Track record delivering a facility against requirements owned by other leaders, and holding the schedule without owning the decisions behind it
- Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where the production system and the facility are being defined in parallel
- Genuine curiosity about AI-enabled workflows and a willingness to build without traditional support structures
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Even better if you have:

- Master's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or an MBA
- Professional Engineer, PMP, or Certified Construction Manager credential
- Heavy industrial, semiconductor, automotive, or aerospace factory startup experience
- Experience with large machining centers, welding and joining, additive manufacturing, or specialty furnace and thermal processing installations
- Experience siting and permitting industrial facilities with significant utility or environmental requirements
- Subsequent site leadership of a facility you personally activated — you built it, then ran it
- Familiarity with Coupa, Costpoint, or similar procurement and capital tracking systems

Culture Statement