Manager, System Prototyping Rapid Development

Blue Origin; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced people manager to lead a small team of technicians in day-to-day prototyping operations. This role blends operations with relationship-building, requiring effective shop-floor leadership and strong administrative oversight of a skilled fabrication team.

You will supervise 9 technicians, prioritize work, coach skill development, ensure safety, and maintain strong collaboration with internal engineering customers to deliver high-quality prototypes on schedule.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in hands-on fabrication, manufacturing, or prototyping.
• 2+ years direct people management or team lead experience.
• Demonstrated experience in mechanical prototyping, composite fabrication, or soft goods manufacturing.
• Strong organizational and workload management skills.
• Excellent communication with shop floor technicians and engineering stakeholders.
• Experience with material/tooling procurement and vendor coordination.

Responsibilities

• Assign and prioritize daily/weekly work across 9 technicians based on customer demand and team capacity.
• Conduct yearly performance reviews and ongoing feedback/coaching.
• Support team development, training, and skill-building in prototyping disciplines.
• Foster a safe, collaborative, and high-performing shop culture.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal engineering customers.
• Translating customer requirements into actionable work assignments.
• Provide status updates, manage expectations, and escalation schedule or technical conflicts as needed.
• Collaborate with customers to scope new prototyping requests and define deliverables.
• Manage material and tooling procurement to support active and upcoming builds.
• Maintain shop readiness including inventory, equipment availability, and consumables.
• Track and manage budget associated with materials and tooling purchases.
• Identify and resolve day-to-day operational blockers.

Skills

Team management

Prototyping

Fabrication

Project coordination

Communication

Job description

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.

Team Overview

The System Prototyping team is a hands‑on fabrication and development group responsible for building mechanical prototypes, composite structures, and soft goods in support of early‑stage design and program development. The team partners closely with internal engineering customers to translate concepts into physical hardware quickly and with high quality.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced people manager to lead a small team of technicians in day‑to‑day prototyping operations. This role is both operational and relational — the right candidate will be equally comfortable managing workflow on the shop floor, communicating with internal customers, and handling the administrative responsibilities of running a skilled fabrication team.

Key Responsibilities

Team Management

• Assign and prioritize daily/weekly work across 9 technicians based on customer demand and team capacity
• Conduct yearly performance reviews and ongoing feedback/coaching
• Support team development, training, and skill‑building in prototyping disciplines
• Foster a safe, collaborative, and high‑performing shop culture

Customer Communication

• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal engineering customers
• Translating customer requirements into actionable work assignments
• Provide status updates, manage expectations, and escalation schedule or technical conflicts as needed
• Collaborate with customers to scope new prototyping requests and define deliverables

Operations & Logistics

• Manage material and tooling procurement to support active and upcoming builds
• Maintain shop readiness including inventory, equipment availability, and consumables
• Track and manage budget associated with materials and tooling purchases
• Identify and resolve day‑to‑day operational blockers

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a hands‑on fabrication, manufacturing, or prototyping environment
• 2+ years of direct people management or team lead experience
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following: mechanical prototyping, composite fabrication, soft goods manufacturing
• Strong organizational and workload management skills
• Excellent communication skills — ability to interface effectively with both shop floor technicians and engineering stakeholders
• Experience with material/tooling procurement and vendor coordination

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing