Senior Manager, New Glenn Product Configuration

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 supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

As Manager of the New Glenn Vehicle Product Configuration team, you will lead a team of product configuration engineers working at the intersection of configuration management, systems engineering, production, and vehicle operations to ensure product configuration and engineering requirements are managed and implemented throughout the vehicle lifecycle. You will serve as a discipline lead — owning policies, processes, tools, and training — while ensuring configuration management rigor is maintained across all phases of the product lifecycle for both software and hardware systems. You will be at the partner across engineering, quality, and mission assurance, building and sustaining the rigorous configuration baselines that our mission depends on.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- Lead and manage a team of Configuration and Development Engineers; responsible for hiring, performance reviews, compensation management, and career development
- Recruit, hire, and mentor a team; embody, promote, and coach the Blue Origin Leadership Principles
- Serve as a trusted partner to cross-functional teams including engineering, manufacturing, software quality assurance, and Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA), embedding configuration management best practices into every phase of program activities

Strategy and Compliance

- Define, own, and continuously improve Product Configuration Management policies, processes, and best practices for New Glenn that can be implemented across the enterprise

- Define and manage program-level Product Configuration policies and processes and tailoring while maintaining compliance with company procedures and processes

- Actively contribute to program milestone reviews — including design reviews, test reviews, and production readiness reviews — ensuring product configuration management considerations are thoroughly addressed and documented

- Establish and report product configuration management metrics and status to program leadership
- Work independently toward long-range objectives and determine the approach to solutions without appreciable direction

- Work with Enterprise Technology to define, develop, and implement automation for Product Configuration processes and tools.

Product Configuration Management

- Coordinate the team to maintain alignment of complex design, production, and in-operation product structures for integrated modules of the New Glenn Launch Vehicle
- Own configuration status accounting, providing accurate, timely visibility into product configuration and change implementation status
- Provide configuration evidence for customer certification and audits (e.g., NSSL, NASA) and resolve related findings
- Provide expert guidance for the implementation of product variant and effectivity methodologies for New Glenn products across all product structures
- Support technical inquiries from US Government partners including DCR, TIM, and joint handling plan resolution on product configuration topics.
- Manage per-vehicle configuration across reflight and refurbishment of reusable hardware
- Ensure effectivity of software configuration items are identified, baselined, and controlled alongside hardware
- Interpret manufacturing build and test flows and provide guidance regarding sequencing based on configuration requirements
- Partner with design teams and integrated testing functions to interpret and coordinate requirements implementation within product structures
- Partner with production teams to interpret and execute build to program requirements
- Provide configuration compliance input to vehicle and launch readiness reviews
- Support manufacturing, launch, and quality engineers to generate reconciliation records for key production milestones and vehicle events; develop and implement process improvements to support reconciliation objectives
- Drive resolution of complex requirement-implementation issues in production systems, favoring scalable fixes over one-off workarounds
- Identify critical product changes and support effectivity of change discussions and implementation; resolve constraints and develop recovery strategies when effectivity of change cannot be implemented as planned
- Act as a technical expert on the product configuration utilized for manufacturing, testing, and operation of integrated products

Minimum Qualifications

- Passion for Blue Origin’s mission: Millions of people living and working in space!
- B.S. degree in engineering or B.S./B.A. in other technical field
- 8+ years of experience in design, development, integration, configuration management, or testing – preferably with aerospace hardware or complex technical systems
- Demonstrated experience applying configuration management principles and practices to complex hardware and/or software products
- Possess high attention to detail and strong organizational/coordination skills
- Demonstrated ability building trusting and effective working relationships that improve team performance and deliver results
- Experience leading teams on fast-paced projects
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of inclusion
- Up to 15% travel will be required to coordinate with design/test/manufacturing teams
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder)

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in development of launch vehicles
- Experience with structures, mechanical systems, cryogenic fluids, and avionics systems in a design and/or manufacturing environment.
- Experience developing product structures, manufacturing installation plans, work instructions, and/or test plans / procedures for structural parts, fluids components and tubes, feedlines, engines, harnesses, and sensors on assemblies and vehicles.
- Knowledge of systems engineering practices, design for manufacturing and testing, lean manufacturing, six sigma, and quality control processes.
- Experience using Manufacturing Execution Systems/Software and processes.
- Experience with data analytics software and methods (SQL, Alteryx, PowerBI, or similar)
- Experience with engineering drawings and GD&T Methods (per ASME Y14.5)
- Proficiency in business and engineering software (MS Office, Windchill, PLM, and similar).

Base Pay Range for:
WA applicants is $183,807.00 - $257,328.75

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.

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