New Glenn Sr. Manager, Upper Stage Upgrades

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

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 supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

We are a team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.

As the Upgrades Manager for New Glenn’s Upper Stage Development team, you will lead a group of engineers responsible for defining, integrating, and delivering current and future upgrades. The team includes single-threaded leaders, technical program managers, systems engineers, analysts, configuration engineers, and design engineers.

You will help define the strategic direction of the New Glenn upper stage upgrades portfolio. You will prioritize upgrades and align the team’s work with New Glenn program objectives. You will own the integrated technical and programmatic execution of the portfolio, including scope, requirements, design integration, configuration, verification planning, schedule, risk, and delivery.

You will work closely with engineering, program management, manufacturing, integration, test, operations, mission assurance, and other program leaders to align resources, resolve multi-functional issues, and support delivery of upgrade objectives. You will coordinate across these functions to maintain insight into schedule, resource and budget performance, system safety, risk, test planning, technical performance, configuration, and issue resolution.

This role requires a leader who can provide clear technical direction, make sound decisions in ambiguous situations, and build trust across organizational boundaries. You will develop your team, maintain accountability, create space for concerns to be raised early, and empower them to deliver strong technical results.

We are looking for someone who can apply strong leadership, technical judgment, and a commitment to quality to advance safe, reliable, and repeatable spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities include:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team of 5–10 engineers and technical leaders, including performance management, work assignment, coaching, training, and career development.
• Lead the planning, technical integration, execution, and delivery of upper stage incremental upgrades.
• Help shape the strategic direction of the upgrades portfolio and prioritize current and future upgrade work.
• Define and manage upgrade scope, sequencing, assumptions, dependencies, interfaces, configuration applicability, verification plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, integration, test, operations, mission assurance, and program management to resolve issues and maintain alignment through delivery.
• Identify and communicate technical and programmatic risks, develop mitigation plans, and drive actions to closure or an acceptable level of risk.
• Track schedule, staffing, technical performance, product metrics, and alignment with the Integrated Master Schedule; escalate constraints and recommend corrective actions when needed.
• Communicate status, critical paths, risks, decisions, and recommended actions to program and executive leadership while fostering a culture of trust, accountability, inclusion, and early escalation.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or another technical field.
• 8+ years of experience leading complex technical projects or teams in aerospace or another highly regulated industry.
• Demonstrated success delivering hardware or technical programs through design, analysis, manufacturing, integration, or test.
• Strong strategic judgment with the ability to set priorities, make tradeoffs, manage risk, and maintain progress in complex or ambiguous environments.
• Experience with systems engineering principles, requirements management, and verification and validation.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of an organization.
• Experience using scheduling, work-management, and collaboration tools such as Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Jira, Confluence, or Tableau.

Desired:

• Advanced degree in engineering, aerospace engineering, engineering management, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Direct experience with launch vehicle or space system integration and test.
• Progressively responsible experience in technical leadership, people management, or project management within aerospace or another high-reliability industry.
• Experience across multiple phases of the product life cycle, including design, analysis, manufacturing, integration, test, and operations.
• Experience managing hardware upgrades, configuration changes, or block upgrades within an active production program.
• Experience with Earned Value Management principles and cost and schedule performance reporting.
• Project Management Professional, Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Manufacturing, or similar certification.

 

Base Pay Range for:

WA applicants is $183,807.00 - $257,328.75

Other site ranges may differ

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

• 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

• Benefits include:  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’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.