Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.
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.
Blue Origin is seeking a Mission Assurance Director to lead the safety and mission assurance function for the Human Landing System (HLS) program within the Lunar Permanence business unit. HLS is Blue Origin's crewed lunar lander, developed under NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the surface of the Moon. This role is accountable for independent assurance of safety, quality, and mission success for a human rated spacecraft system, from design and qualification through integration and test, launch campaign support, and crewed lunar operations.
The Mission Assurance Director serves as the mission assurance authority across program milestones, in close partnership with the program, engineering, system safety, reliability, quality assurance, and EHS functional organizations, as well as directly with NASA.
Scope includes budget planning, organizational strategy, and high level communication with senior executives, the customer, and across the organization, including responsibility to manage change in a structured, systemic manner.
This role reports to the Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance.
Responsibilities- Serve as the mission assurance authority for the Human Landing System program, providing independent oversight and technical judgment across the program lifecycle
- Define, implement, and monitor the HLS mission assurance program, specifications, and processes to assure design, test, launch, and crewed mission success
- Coordinate SQMA efforts across a matrixed team of system safety, reliability, and quality engineers to ensure safe and successful tests and missions
- Provide inputs to program, test, and mission planning to ensure safety and mission assurance objectives are addressed at each development and certification gate
- Coordinate with the program to establish and refine risk thresholds and goals for safety and mission success, and provide disposition of risks relevant to safety and mission success
- Represent Mission Assurance at program, design, test, and material review boards
- Ensure safety, reliability, hazard, and FMEA analyses are thorough and correct, and that derived requirements and mitigations are verified and closed
- Serve as non-advocate for design, qualification, production, and flight readiness reviews, and for test and integration facility activation
- Provide independent review of failure and defect root cause analyses, anomaly investigations, and mishaps, and provide non-advocate support to corrective and preventive action processes
- Provide technical expertise to manufacturing and test activities to improve product safety, reliability, and quality
- Interface directly with NASA on mission assurance requirements, compliance, and human rating certification activities
- Establish, track, and report key performance metrics to SQMA and Lunar Permanence leadership to support program goals
Basic Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in a technical field
- 15+ years of experience in mission assurance, quality, reliability, or product integrity for complex hardware
- Human spaceflight or launch vehicle certification experience, including familiarity with human rating requirements and processes
- Strong proficiency with safety and mission assurance processes, analysis, and tools, including risk management, hazard analysis, FMEA, reliability analysis, and root cause analysis
- Demonstrated success providing independent technical judgment and establishing risk thresholds that drive mission success on complex aerospace systems
- Technical leadership experience driving workforce culture and process change and leading through influence
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including with senior executives and external customers
Preferred Qualifications- Direct NASA interface experience, including familiarity with NASA mission assurance and safety requirements
- Experience on NASA crewed or human rated programs
- Launch vehicle and associated ground systems development experience
- Experience supporting launch operations
- Continuous Improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma knowledge and experience
- Working knowledge of AS9100 or an equivalent quality standard, including audit and conformance experience
Base Pay Range for:
CO applicants is $160,618.00 - $224,864.85WA applicants is $169,624.00 - $237,473.25
Other site ranges may differCulture StatementDon'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.
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.
