Manufacturing Engineer III – Electric Propulsion

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 National Security (BNS), where our focus is the design, development, and delivery of launch and spacecraft systems for national security missions. Through Blue Ring, our all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar-electric and chemical-propelled spacecraft, we provide unmatched mission maneuverability, versatility, and capacity at dramatically lower-profile costs.

As a member of the Blue National Security (BNS) propulsion team, you will play a foundational role in the development of the Hall thruster-based propulsion systems that maneuver the constellation satellites as well as the propulsion team itself.

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will lead the development of the propulsion team’s manufacturing processes for development and production of the Hall-effect thruster. You will work with cross-functional propulsion team members to lead DFx studies to strengthen the feedback loop between design, build, and test, accelerating product development. Successful candidates will utilize their experience in aerospace manufacturing to make tactical decisions on scalable practices and plan for high-rate production as well as use that experience to lead and mentor junior team members. A preferred candidate will have experience in manufacturing electric propulsion thrusters and hollow cathode subsystems in both development and production environments.

If you share our passion for propulsion system development and manufacturing, thrive in a dynamic startup environment, excel on integrated cross-functional teams of diverse individuals, are experienced and skilled in several relevant areas listed below, continuously seek out opportunities to learn and improve, and do not allow title or job description to limit the depth or breadth of your contributions, then we would love to hear from you.

Special Considerations

- Relocation provided
- Travel expected up to 25% of the time

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- Design, procure, assemble, and operate propulsion development manufacturing facilities for system and subsystem assemblies.
- Document and leading discussion of build/inspection results, conclusions, and recommended path forward for test and test article development
- Technical contributions to the growth of the team through assisting in hiring, identifying team skill gaps, and mentoring junior team members.
- Coordinate with equipment suppliers and Blue Origin facilities on delivery of large and long lead manufacturing equipment/stations requiring detailed facility layouts and specialized facility infrastructure.
- Work closely with mechanical design, test, and propulsion engineering teams to translate engineering intent, drawings, and configurations into fully functional hardware.

Develop manufacturing work instructions to clearly define the following manufacturing process: receiving inspection, fabrication, assembly, integration, test, and refurbishment.

- Lead DFx reviews such as: Design for Manufacturing, Design for Test, and Design for Assembly.
- Develop initial process control measures and evaluation through statistical analysis.
- Establishing the propulsion team’s manufacturing standards, processes and workflows for successful and scalable operations.
- Identify, communicate, and mitigate cost, schedule, and technical risks.
- Plan scaling activities for development and production manufacturing capacity to support concurrent high-rate production and sustained, continuous product improvement.

Minimum Qualifications:

- Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area.
- 5+ years of career experience in propulsion system manufacturing.
- Experience in manufacturing flight hardware in a production facility, or laboratory.
- Experience in hardware manufacturing (e.g. additively manufactured components, welding, machining, cleaning, non-destructive testing methods, tight tolerance assembly, leak testing, final acceptance testing of integrated hardware, and Manufacturing Execution Systems/Software).
- Proven experience of technical leadership in root cause investigations, process improvement initiatives, and/or strategic team direction.
- Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion.
- Experience in developing work instructions with target cycle time and manufacturing processes from engineering drawings/documentation.
- Experience in MBOM generation and EBOM / MBOM reconciliation.
- Ability to read, interpret, and provide DFx feedback on engineering drawings and technical requirements.
- Experience in developing and/or managing work center layouts, taking into account material flow and the required production rate.
- Familiarity with good manufacturing practices such as 5S, Kanban, Quick Changeover, Continuous Improvement, and Error proofing.
- Strong safety demeanor and experience, including hands-on experience planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations.
- Excellent verbal, written, and graphical communication skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively with external stakeholders in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.
- Enthusiasm for mentoring, training, knowledge sharing, and supporting the technical development of team members.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Master’s of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area.
- Proficient with application of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and performing dimensional variation analysis.
- Proven experience and successful track record developing/starting new manufacturing processes.
- Electric propulsion production system and/or subsystem manufacturing experience.
- General familiarity of electric propulsion system (e.g. ion, Hall-effect) operation and assembly practices.
- Demonstrated experience in the creation and commissioning of development or production manufacturing infrastructure electric propulsion assemblies.
- Proficiency in orbital tube welding, an automated Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process, for joining high-performance alloys used in propulsion systems (e.g., propellant lines, thruster assemblies).
- Ability to perform statistical process control analyses including documentation and presentation of resulting technical information.
- Experience in supporting rapid iterative design, build, and test loop of a propulsion system from concept to production.
- Experience in scaling and optimizing manufacturing and test practices for increasing production rates.
- Conducting failure investigations and resolving non-conformances is a high-rate production environment.
- Experience performing limited design (CAD) work to draft assembly fixturing/tools.
- Excellent computer skills with the ability to quickly learn and use various software tools as needed.
- Experience with AS9100 Quality Management System.
- Experience with analytical and scripting tools: MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, or C++.
- Experience in developing database queries: SQL, Databricks, or similar.
- Experience with developing and deploying automated manufacturing processes.
- Experience with requirements development/management tools and lifecycle management (PLM) tools.

Base Pay Range for:
WA applicants is $112,059.00 - $156,882.60

Other site ranges may differ