Application close date:
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.
This role is part of Blue Origin corporate functions, providing centralized support across Blue Origin business unit teams, functions, and locations.
About the RoleBlue Origin is assembling the leadership team that will enable humanity's future in space. As Principal Program Manager for Interview Experience, Candidate Experience, and our Bar Raiser Program, you will own and evolve the systems that determine who joins Blue Origin-and how they experience us along the way. This is a founding-level opportunity to build net-new strategy in a space with enterprise-wide visibility, direct executive sponsorship, and a mandate to raise the bar (literally) on hiring quality across the company.
You will be the definitive voice on interview and candidate experience at Blue Origin, translating hiring quality signals into action, and building programs that scale with our growth while preserving the rigor that keeps our talent bar high. This role requires someone equally comfortable in a whiteboard strategy session with the CPO and in the operational details of interviewer calibration data.
What You'll DoOwn the Strategy- Architect Blue Origin's end-to-end candidate and interview experience strategy-from first touch through offer-identifying where we lead the industry and where we must improve
- Design and scale the Bar Raiser Program, including selection criteria, calibration mechanisms, and governance that protects hiring quality as the company scales
- Develop net-new frameworks, tools, and interventions where no existing playbook exists; you are expected to build the plane while flying it
- Define what "great" looks like for candidate and interviewer experience, and build the measurement systems to prove it
Influence at the Highest Levels- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership-including the CEO and CPO-on hiring quality, interview effectiveness, and candidate experience risk
- Translate qualitative feedback and quantitative signals (interview scores, time-to-decision, candidate NPS, offer-accept rates, bar raiser calibration data) into narratives that drive executive decisions
- Build the business case and secure executive sponsorship for structural changes to how Blue Origin interviews and evaluates talent
- Navigate and resolve tension between hiring velocity and hiring quality at the executive level
Drive Enterprise-Wide Execution- Partner with TA leaders, hiring managers, business unit leaders, and HR partners across global operations to implement consistent, high-quality interview practices
- Establish governance and escalation frameworks for interview and bar raiser program health-including risk identification (e.g., calibration drift, interviewer capacity, candidate drop-off)
- Build and lead a coalition of Bar Raisers across the org, including their training, certification, ongoing development, and recognition
- Coordinate cross-functionally to ensure interview practices scale consistently across business units, levels, and geographies without becoming bottlenecks
Build for Scale and Quality Simultaneously- Design interview processes and tooling that scale with hypergrowth while protecting signal quality and reducing interviewer fatigue
- Institute analytics frameworks connecting interview/candidate experience metrics to downstream outcomes (quality of hire, retention, time-to-fill, employer brand)
- Pioneer use of new tools/technology (including AI-enabled interview support, scheduling, and feedback tools) to improve efficiency without compromising rigor
- Continuously benchmark against industry best practices and challenge Blue Origin's own conventions to drive breakthrough improvements
What You BringMinimum Qualifications- 10+ years leading enterprise-scale talent acquisition programs, with specific experience in interview process design, candidate experience, and/or bar raiser/hiring quality programs
- Demonstrated success building and scaling net-new programs from ambiguity-not just optimizing existing systems
- Proven track record influencing and partnering with C-suite/VP-level stakeholders, including navigating disagreement and driving alignment
- Deep expertise in interview methodology, calibration systems, and hiring quality frameworks
- Strong data literacy with ability to build metrics frameworks that connect interview practices to business outcomes
- Experience leading change management across a global, cross-functional organization
- Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience
Preferred Qualifications- Direct experience building or scaling an Interview Experience program (or equivalent structured hiring quality program) at a high-growth or high-bar organization
- Advanced degree in Business, HR, Organizational Psychology, or related field
- Track record of thought leadership (speaking, publishing, or industry recognition) in talent acquisition or hiring quality
- Experience integrating AI/emerging technology into interview or candidate experience workflows
- Demonstrated ability to operate with high autonomy in a "zero-to-one" capacity, building programs where none existed
Why This Role MattersEvery person who joins Blue Origin passes through the systems you will own. Get it right, and you build the workforce that puts humanity in space. This is not a caretaker role-it's a mandate to define what world-class interviewing and candidate experience looks like for one of the most ambitious missions on Earth (and beyond it).
Base Pay Range for:
WA applicants is $157,059.00 - $219,882.60
Other site ranges may differBenefits- 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.
