Director, Design Quality

Application close date:

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! 

Director of Design Quality is a hands-on hardware quality leader who believes that quality must be designed in, not inspected out. You will build and lead the Design Quality function from the ground up, embedding quality rigor into every phase of the product development lifecycle from concept through mass production. At the heart of this role is ownership of the maturity gate framework, the mechanism that defines what "ready" looks like at every phase transition and serves as the independent check that ensures our hardware programs meet the standards required before moving forward. You will set cross-program quality standards, own the supplier quality function, and serve as the enterprise authority on design quality governance across all connectivity and communications hardware programs.

The TeraWave Design Quality team is responsible for ensuring that quality is built into every phase of one of the world's most advanced satellite manufacturing programs, from early concept through mass production. We own the maturity gate framework, set cross-program quality standards, and serve as the independent check that ensures our hardware programs are truly ready before they advance. Embedded at the intersection of engineering and manufacturing operations, our team is a critical enabler of program success and the long-term reliability of the TeraWave constellation.

What You'll Do

• Define and own the design and manufacturing quality strategy across all NPI and volume production phases, serving as the enterprise quality authority from early concept through mass production

• Own and enforce the maturity gate framework, defining what "ready" looks like at every phase transition and serving as the independent readiness check before any program moves forward

• Establish cross-program quality governance standards spanning design gates (PDR, CDR, TRR) and manufacturing gates (PRR, Production Readiness, Rate Readiness), ensuring no gaps across customer, internal, and regulatory requirements

• Lead design quality engineering across the full product development lifecycle, owning qualification and acceptance test criteria, FAI/AS9102 processes, configuration management, and engineering change control

• Own the manufacturing quality function, including PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC/SQC, MSA/Gauge R&R, NDT/NDI, ATP development, and sampling plans from first article through rate production

• Own MRB authority and NADCAP accreditation, governing nonconformance disposition, special process oversight, and corrective action across all programs

• Own the supplier quality function, driving qualification requirements, source inspection, audits, scorecards, and corrective action processes to prevent escapes

• Own the internal audit program and serve as the primary interface with government quality representatives, customer source inspectors, and third-party auditors, ensuring compliance with AS9100, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, NADCAP, and applicable MIL-SPEC requirements

• Drive measurable first-pass yield improvement and cost of poor quality reduction, building a quality-first production floor culture grounded in Lean and Six Sigma principles

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing Design Quality organization, defining team structure, hiring top talent, and owning the quality tools and systems strategy needed to scale effectively
  

• 12+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing quality, or mission assurance in an aerospace, defense, or high-complexity hardware manufacturing environment, with at least 8 years leading quality teams
• Minimum B.S. degree in Engineering or a related technical field (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, or Systems Engineering preferred)
• Hands-on experience with AS9100 Quality Management Systems, Process FMEA (PFMEA), Control Plans, design review processes (PDR, CDR, PRR, TRR), and root cause/corrective action methodologies
• Experience with First Article Inspection (AS9102), configuration management, and engineering change control in a hardware manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience managing Material Review Board (MRB) authority including nonconformance disposition, corrective action initiation, and scrap/rework reduction programs
• Experience with Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Statistical Quality Control (SQC) methods applied to aerospace manufacturing processes
• Demonstrated experience owning supplier quality programs including supplier qualification, source inspection, and supplier corrective action processes
• Familiarity with NADCAP accreditation requirements and special process oversight including welding, NDT/NDI, heat treatment, chemical processing, or composites in an aerospace manufacturing environment
• Experience with Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection (NDT/NDI) programs, inspection planning, Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP), and sampling plan development
• Experience managing quality programs with budget and headcount responsibility across multiple programs or manufacturing sites
• Proven ability to build and scale quality engineering organizations including defining team structure, hiring, and establishing operating models

• 15+ years of total work experience in quality engineering, manufacturing quality, or a related discipline
• Experience supporting design and manufacturing quality for aerospace hardware, launch vehicle systems, satellite systems, communications hardware, or high-complexity electronics development and production programs
• Experience owning and enforcing a maturity gate framework across multiple concurrent hardware development programs, with demonstrated ability to serve as an independent readiness check across engineering and manufacturing functions
• Demonstrated experience driving first-pass yield improvement from early NPI through high-rate manufacturing, with measurable reduction in nonconformances, scrap, rework, and cost of poor quality
• Familiarity with applicable industry standards including IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, MIL-SPEC, MIL-STD-1916, and AS9102 in an electronics or communications hardware manufacturing environment
• Experience with Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility (Gauge R&R) studies to validate inspection and measurement processes
• Experience with manufacturing process qualification and validation, workmanship standards, traveler/router quality controls, and production floor quality culture development
• Demonstrated experience implementing Quality at the Source, self-inspection, and operator-led quality programs to drive first-pass yield improvement
• Experience with Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) or equivalent production approval processes, Certificate of Conformance (CoC) program management, and production readiness assessments
• Track record of building and scaling quality functions through periods of rapid hardware program growth and production ramp
• Experience working cross-functionally with systems engineering, program management, and manufacturing engineering teams within an Integrated Product Team (IPT) structure
• Experience interfacing with government quality representatives or managing customer source inspection programs
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical field
• American Society for Quality (ASQ) certification (CQE, CQM/OE, CMQ/OE, or equivalent); Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent a plus
• Familiarity with model-based engineering (MBSE), digital thread concepts, or digital quality management systems as applied to hardware development and production environments

Base Pay Range for:

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.