Prototype Shop Manager: Rapid Development Lead

Blue Origin LLC; Titusville (FL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock options

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin LLC is seeking an experienced people manager to lead a small team of technicians in day-to-day prototyping operations. You will balance shop-floor workflow with strong internal communication and the administrative duties of running a skilled fabrication team.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, safety, and collaboration as you guide 9 technicians through priority projects, procurement, and customer coordination to deliver high-quality prototypes on time.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on fabrication, manufacturing, or prototyping experience
• 2+ years of direct people management or team lead experience
• Experience in mechanical prototyping, composite fabrication, or soft goods manufacturing
• Strong organizational and workload management skills
• Excellent communication skills—interface 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

Hands-on fabrication

Team leadership

Project coordination

Vendor coordination

Communication skills

Procurement

Organization/workload management

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in a related technical field

Tools

Shop management tools

Work order tracking tools

Job description

Blue Origin LLC is seeking an experienced people manager to lead a small team of technicians in day-to-day prototyping operations. You will balance shop-floor workflow with strong internal communication and the administrative duties of running a skilled fabrication team.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, safety, and collaboration as you guide 9 technicians through priority projects, procurement, and customer coordination to deliver high-quality prototypes on time.