Thrusters Operations Manager

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.

As part of a hardworking, passionate, and accomplished team of experts, you will be responsible for financial and manufacturing operations in Huntsville, Alabama. This includes building and leading a skilled, interdisciplinary team, responsible for Thruster systems manufacturing. This is a hands-on position that requires the ability to communicate the vision, strategy and tactical application of cost-effective strategies and key deliverables. It requires you to collaborate through the design life cycle providing guidance to improve manufacturability and assembly while reducing cost and lead time.

- Champion Safety & Quality: Instill a culture where safety is paramount and first-time quality is the standard across all functions, from engineering to the production floor.
- Build & Develop the Organization: Build the value stream's team and create the organizational architecture to scale operations rapidly. Apply Blue Origin’s Leadership Principles to develop a trusting, learning culture through continuous feedback, coaching, and robust development opportunities.
- Foster a "One Team Attitude": Lead a integrated organization including manufacturing engineering, quality, tooling, supply chain, and production, uniting them toward a common goal of operational excellence.
- End-to-End Accountability: Own the complete thruster system manufacturing flow from raw materials through final acceptance testing, ensuring seamless integration and accountability for safety, quality, cost, and schedule performance.
- Drive Production Velocity: Radically improve production efficiency by optimizing factory flow, increasing throughput, and enhancing first-pass yield. Drive design-build-test cycle times from months to days through value stream mapping, constraint identification, and rapid problem resolution.
- Achieve Rate Production: Lead initiatives and strategies that deliver cost-effective, high-quality operational performance to meet high-volume rate targets.
- Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFx): Collaborate with Program and Design Engineering partners to influence product design through DFx initiatives, delivering step-change reductions in cost, cycle time, and lead time.
- Implement Data-Driven Systems: Oversee the development and implementation of data-driven systems with a lean approach. Evaluate processes at micro and macro levels, then execute impactful improvements for safety, quality, cost, and delivery speed.
- Standardize Best Practices: Disseminate key operational takeaways and standardize processes within the value stream and across Blue Operations to drive enterprise-wide improvement and learning.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

- BA or BS degree in Engineering, Physics, or related technical field, or equivalent experience with demonstrated progressive responsibility increases.

Leadership Experience:

- 10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience in complex production environments (aerospace, automotive, medical device, or similar high-precision industries).
- Proven track record building or transforming successful production operations organizations and leading large-scale change management initiatives that influence culture, define tools & processes, and improve competencies.
- Experience leading, growing, and developing large teams in a multi-business unit integrated supply chain organization.
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams including Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Tooling, Supply Chain, and Production.

Technical & Operational Excellence:

- Strong knowledge and applied experience in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies, with demonstrated ability to implement value stream mapping, continuous improvement, and statistical process control.
- Advanced knowledge in designing and building successful delivery of manufacturing, production, assembly, procurement, and logistics in a high-volume, high-complexity environment.
- Deep technical understanding of aerospace valve designs and propulsion hardware with demonstrated ability to influence design decisions to improve manufacturability, reduce cost, and accelerate production rates.
- Deep understanding of work cell standard work creation, management, and tracking deviation from standards.
- Experience managing capital improvements, factory layout optimization, and operational budgets.

Strategic & Cultural Leadership:

- Strong business insight with demonstrated experience challenging the status quo, inspiring change, and teaching and motivating individuals to develop and implement new ways of thinking and doing business.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with teams, customers, and suppliers to prioritize teamwork and customer satisfaction.
- An attitude of world-class mission assurance, quality, attention to detail, and dedication to operational excellence.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Advanced Education: Master's degree or equivalent experience in engineering, operations, or business.
- Aerospace Experience: 15+ years manufacturing experience in aerospace including launch vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, propulsion systems, rocketry, or high-pressure fluid systems.
- Manufacturing Process Expertise: Experience across multiple manufacturing processes and technologies including metal machining, composites, aerostructures, welding, and harness fabrication.
- Lean Six Sigma Certification: Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification.
- Production Scaling Experience: Track record scaling production from development/low-rate to high-rate production environments or greenfield facility stand-up and major production line transformations.
- Digital Systems & Tools: Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems; strong familiarity with digital twin development and implementation.

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.

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