ShopFloorJobs
Blue Origin logo

BE-7 Lunar Engine Value Stream Leader

Blue Origin · Huntsville, AL

Apply on Blue Origin ↗
Level
Manager
Team
Lean / CI
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
10+ years
Certification
Black Belt preferred
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
7 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management continuous improvement role at Blue Origin (aerospace & defense) in Huntsville, AL. It requires you to collaborate through the design life cycle providing guidance to improve manufacturability and assembly while reducing cost and lead time.

They ask for
10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience) · Black Belt preferred
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, Value stream mapping, SPC, Tooling

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

It asks for 10+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

Your game plan for this job

Most people just hit Apply. Do these first and you show up with someone on the inside.

  1. 1

    Find 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at this site

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply most.

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    Ask about the work, not for a referral. We write it for you.

  3. 3

    Have a 15-minute chat

    Good questions for this role:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
    • Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
    • The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply, ideally with a referral

    Ask if they'd refer you or introduce you to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link and tell them the day you apply.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

About the role

Education

  • ✓BA or BS degree in Engineering, Physics, or related technical field, or equivalent experience with demonstrated progressive responsibility increases.

Leadership Experience

  • ✓10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience in complex production environments (aerospace, automotive, medical device, or similar high-precision industries).
  • ✓Proven track record building or transforming successful production operations organizations and leading large-scale change management initiatives that influence culture, define tools & processes, and improve competencies.
  • ✓Experience leading, growing, and developing large teams in a multi-business unit integrated supply chain organization.
  • ✓Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams including Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Tooling, Supply Chain, and Production.

Preferred Qualifications

  • ✓Advanced Education: Master's degree or equivalent experience in engineering, operations, or business.
  • ✓Aerospace Experience: 15+ years manufacturing experience in aerospace including launch vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, propulsion systems, rocketry, or high-pressure fluid systems.
  • ✓Manufacturing Process Expertise: Experience across multiple manufacturing pr
Show full description ↓

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 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.

As part of a hardworking, passionate, and accomplished team of experts, you will be responsible for financial and manufacturing operations in Huntsville, Alabama. This includes leading a skilled, interdisciplinary team, responsible for BE-7 Lunar Lander Engine systems manufacturing. This is a hands-on position that requires the ability to communicate the vision, strategy and tactical application of cost-effective strategies and key deliverables. It requires you to collaborate through the design life cycle providing guidance to improve manufacturability and assembly while reducing cost and lead time.

  • •Champion Safety & Quality: Instill a culture where safety is paramount and first-time quality is the standard across all functions, from engineering to the production floor.
  • •Build & Develop the Organization: Build the value stream's team and create the organizational architecture to scale operations rapidly. Apply Blue Origin’s Leadership Principles to develop a trusting, learning culture through continuous feedback, coaching, and robust development opportunities.
  • •Foster a "One Team Attitude": Lead a integrated organization including manufacturing engineering, quality, tooling, supply chain, and production, uniting them toward a common goal of operational excellence.
  • •End-to-End Accountability: Own the complete thruster system manufacturing flow from raw materials through final acceptance testing, ensuring seamless integration and accountability for safety, quality, cost, and schedule performance.
  • •Drive Production Velocity: Radically improve production efficiency by optimizing factory flow, increasing throughput, and enhancing first-pass yield. Drive design-build-test cycle times from months to days through value stream mapping, constraint identification, and rapid problem resolution.
  • •Achieve Rate Production: Lead initiatives and strategies that deliver cost-effective, high-quality operational performance to meet high-volume rate targets.
  • •Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFx): Collaborate with Program and Design Engineering partners to influence product design through DFx initiatives, delivering step-change reductions in cost, cycle time, and lead time.
  • •Implement Data-Driven Systems: Oversee the development and implementation of data-driven systems with a lean approach. Evaluate processes at micro and macro levels, then execute impactful improvements for safety, quality, cost, and delivery speed.
  • •Standardize Best Practices: Disseminate key operational takeaways and standardize processes within the value stream and across Blue Operations to drive enterprise-wide improvement and learning.

Technical & Operational Excellence

  • •Strong knowledge and applied experience in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies, with demonstrated ability to implement value stream mapping, continuous improvement, and statistical process control.
  • •Advanced knowledge in designing and building successful delivery of manufacturing, production, assembly, procurement, and logistics in a high-volume, high-complexity environment.
  • •Deep technical understanding of aerospace valve designs and propulsion hardware with demonstrated ability to influence design decisions to improve manufacturability, reduce cost, and accelerate production rates.
  • •Deep understanding of work cell standard work creation, management, and tracking deviation from standards.
  • •Experience managing capital improvements, factory layout optimization, and operational budgets.

Strategic & Cultural Leadership

  • •Strong business insight with demonstrated experience challenging the status quo, inspiring change, and teaching and motivating individuals to develop and implement new ways of thinking and doing business.
  • •Strong verbal and written communication skills with teams, customers, and suppliers to prioritize teamwork and customer satisfaction.
  • •An attitude of world-class mission assurance, quality, attention to detail, and dedication to operational excellence.

More Lean / CI roles nearby