Space Coast Fabrication Operations Principal Manufacturing Engineer

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! 

Blue Origin is a pioneering team dedicated to building a future where millions of people live and work in space for the benefit of Earth. Our team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers is committed to a culture of safety.

We are seeking a dedicated and skilled Principal Manufacturing Engineer — a strategic thinker with experience in new factory setup, a strong foundation in automation, and who is never satisfied with the status quo.

Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin's vision. We urge those passionate about our mission to apply.

You will use your engineering expertise to organize and drive improvements across our fabrication and manufacturing operations. As Principal Manufacturing Engineer, you will be accountable for 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 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.

• 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.

• Relocation provided

• 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.

• 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.

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.