Senior Manager - New Glenn Recovery Operations Engineer

About the role

This role is part of Blue Origin Operations, which includes Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance. It involves supporting the off-shore recovery of the New Glenn first stage booster from touchdown to returning to port.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of recovery operations engineers through comprehensive training, mentoring, and certification programs ensuring mission-ready capability for all launch operations.
• Champion team members' professional growth by providing career guidance, facilitating development opportunities, conducting performance evaluations, and advocating for promotions and recognition.
• Foster a culture of operational excellence and psychological safety by establishing clear communication channels, removing organizational barriers, and empowering team members to drive continuous improvement initiatives across recovery operations.
• Drive strategic workforce planning and resource allocation to maintain optimal staffing levels, ensuring operational readiness while balancing workload distribution and team sustainability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leadership across Launch, Landing, and Mission Assurance to align recovery operations priorities, share best practices, and support Blue Origin's mission objectives.
• Plan, execute, and continuously improve flight, launch, landing, and recovery operations for Blue Origin vehicles and missions.
• Develop and maintain operations products including procedures, checklists, flight rules, console user guides, playbooks, and contingency response plans.
• Schedule and provide engineering support for the preventative maintenance on the recovery systems that interface with the recovered booster to include the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), transit stands, and nitrogen system onboard the Landing Platform Vessel (LPV).
• Conduct root cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions for all dispositions relating to the recovery systems that interface with the booster from touchdown to return to port.
• Perform hazard identification, risk assessments, and launch safety analyses for flight and ground operations, ensuring risks are understood, communicated, and controlled.
• Define and validate operational requirements for flight and ground support equipment (GSE), including facilities, vehicles, vessels, communications, and recovery systems.
• Support mission readiness activities, including simulations, rehearsals, readiness reviews, go/no-go criteria, and launch commit/abort decision processes.
• Provide real-time operations support (e.g., console operations, field leadership, offshore/onshore coordination) throughout all phases of launch, flight, landing, and recovery.
• Lead or support anomaly response and post-flight investigations, including data review, root cause analysis, and development of corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure all operations comply with internal safety standards and external regulations (e.g., FAA, range safety, OSHA, and maritime/aviation regulations as applicable).
• Capture operational lessons learned and drive continuous improvement to enhance safety margins, reduce operational risk, increase reliability, and improve schedule and cost performance.
• Develop domain expertise in one or more areas such as launch operations, range safety, mission control/flight console operations, offshore recovery, aviation operations, or ground systems operations, while maintaining a broad understanding of end-to-end mission needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university (other relevant technical fields may be considered).
• 10+ years of experience in flight operations, test operations, range/launch safety, mission control, marine/aviation operations, or other high-consequence operational environments.
• Demonstrated experience writing and executing technical procedures, checklists, or work instructions in English.
• Proven track record planning and conducting hazardous or critical operations with a strong safety mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in ambiguous, time-critical environments, make sound decisions with incomplete data, and maintain composure under pressure.
• Ability and willingness to support non-standard hours, shift work, and extended periods of on-site or field deployment during test, launch, and recovery campaigns.
• Ability to work in field environments (e.g., launch sites, test ranges, offshore or remote locations) including use of PPE, climbing ladders/stairs, standing for extended periods, and working in varied weather conditions, as required by the role.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications: Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Marine/Naval Architecture, Industrial, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited university (other relevant technical fields may be considered).
• Preferred qualifications: 15+ years of experience in launch operations, range safety, flight test, mission control, marine recovery, aviation operations, or similar mission-critical environments.

Skills

• Systems thinking
• Disciplined operations practices
• Sound engineering judgment
• Systems thinking
• Disciplined operations practices
• Sound engineering judgment

Benefits

• 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%
• 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

Pay

Details TBD

Schedule

Shifts: This role will require supporting console operations for launch from day of launch through booster return to port.