Principal Manufacturing Engineer - Fabrication Operations

Blue Origin LLC; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Stock options for regular employees

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to organize and drive improvements across fabrication and manufacturing operations. You will lead planning, executing, and monitoring project campaigns, including new factory setup and optimization of existing operations.

You will build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, apply technical leadership, and mentor teams while ensuring quality and on-time delivery in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of manufacturing/production engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience standing up manufacturing centers / new factory setup.
• Strong foundation in manufacturing automation and automated production systems.
• Advanced knowledge of manufacturing methodologies, tooling capabilities, secondary processes, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).
• Advanced application of GD&T, modeling, drawing practices, and change management.
• Proven ability to lead root cause analysis and corrective action on major-scope nonconformances.
• Advanced understanding of material properties, specification authoring, and management of ATP/QTP testing.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings/models and apply their specific intent.
• Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
• Experience with lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the stand-up of new manufacturing centers, from concept through operational readiness, with an emphasis on automation and scalable, efficient factory design.
• Drive optimization of existing operations — improving throughput, quality, cost, and cycle time across the fabrication and manufacturing environment.
• Work the entire manufacturing cycle, or at significant technical depth across multiple discipline-specific areas, independently and with no oversight.
• Own strategic initiatives, technology maturation, and best-practice capture, contributing to company objectives in creative and effective ways.
• Develop advanced techniques, methods, procedures, and criteria required for hardware manufacturing and delivery, guiding them into final production-ready processes.
• Lead anomaly investigations, root cause analyses (RCCA), and recovery plans for complex development and production issues.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and project teams, setting technical direction across the organization.
• Develop and manage relationships across the company and with external partners, serving as an organizational spokesperson on advanced projects and programs.
• Hold responsibility for schedule, budget, milestones, and/or program technical approval authority.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Project leadership

Automation

Lean manufacturing

Root cause analysis

Quality assurance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering

Tools

MES

DFM

Job description

About Blue Origin

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.

About the Role

You will use your engineering expertise to organize and drive improvements across our fabrication and manufacturing operations. As Principal Manufacturing Engineer, you will lead planning, executing, and monitoring project campaigns — including new factory setup and optimization of existing operations. You will build strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders/partners and factor the health and importance of those relationships into your engineering decisions and approach. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to innovate current processes and implement new processes and technologies critical to our success. Bias for action and passion for our mission and vision are required. This role demands attention to detail, highly developed communication skills, execution with urgency, and the ability to work under minimal direction.

Responsibilities

• Lead the stand-up of new manufacturing centers, from concept through operational readiness, with an emphasis on automation and scalable, efficient factory design.
• Drive optimization of existing operations — improving throughput, quality, cost, and cycle time across the fabrication and manufacturing environment.
• Work the entire manufacturing cycle, or at significant technical depth across multiple discipline-specific areas, independently and with no oversight.
• Own strategic initiatives, technology maturation, and best-practice capture, contributing to company objectives in creative and effective ways.
• Develop advanced techniques, methods, procedures, and criteria required for hardware manufacturing and delivery, guiding them into final production-ready processes.
• Lead anomaly investigations, root cause analyses (RCCA), and recovery plans for complex development and production issues.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and project teams, setting technical direction across the organization.
• Develop and manage relationships across the company and with external partners, serving as an organizational spokesperson on advanced projects and programs.
• Hold responsibility for schedule, budget, milestones, and/or program technical approval authority.

Special Mentions

Relocation provided

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of manufacturing/production engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience standing up manufacturing centers / new factory setup.
• Strong foundation in manufacturing automation and automated production systems.
• Advanced knowledge of manufacturing methodologies, tooling capabilities, secondary processes, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).
• Advanced application of GD&T, modeling, drawing practices, and change management.
• Proven ability to lead root cause analysis and corrective action on major-scope nonconformances.
• Advanced understanding of material properties, specification authoring, and management of ATP/QTP testing.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings/models and apply their specific intent.
• Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
• Experience with lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in an engineering discipline.
• Experience in aerospace, propulsion, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
• Recognized subject matter expert internally and/or externally; participation in technical committees or societies.
• Track record leading company-wide tool development and process improvement initiatives.

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.

Background Check

Background Check Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training. Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion.
• Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation.
• Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws.

For more information on “Know Your Rights,” please see here.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’sAffirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.

We’re committed to building the road to space so our children can build the future. We are a mission-driven company focused on ideas and innovation, and encourage fresh perspectives from bold voices. At Blue, our team is building the future as their unique selves.

Thank you for your interest in working at Blue Origin!

Blue Origin was founded with a vision to enable a future where millions of people live and work in space to benefit Earth.

In order to preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes in the need to enable humanity to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space.

Blue Origin believes it has an important role in building a road to space and lowering the cost of getting there.

At Blue Origin, we’re working on this today by developing fully reusable launch vehicles and systems that are safe, reliable and affordable.

Every launch vehicle is designed for human spaceflight from the beginning and able to ferry payloads to space.