Senior Manager, Software Engineering

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 Enterprise Technology (ET), where we're developing the digital infrastructure needed to build the road to space, with an emphasis on digital capabilities required to advance Blue Origin's mission. Enterprise Technology is the center of excellence for digital technology at Blue Origin, providing oversight and governance to align technology and business strategies.

As the Software Engineering Manager for Work Order Authoring at Blue Origin, you will lead a high-performing team of nine software engineers to transform and scale the suite of services underpinning Blue Origin's mission-critical manufacturing and business operations. Your core focus will be driving the evolution of robust, well-architected systems that fuel Blue Origin's pace of innovation and manufacturing excellence. You will be instrumental in partnering with technical program managers, product owners, and cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, performant, and highly available solutions that are foundational to Blue Origin's future.

We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Key Responsibilities:

1. Team Leadership & Development

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of nine engineers, fostering a culture of excellence in software best practices, technical rigor, and collaborative innovation.
• Conduct regular performance reviews (mid-year and annual), set growth plans, and facilitate hiring to grow the team.
• Lead onboarding of new team members, establish clear goals, and develop technical and leadership skills across the team.
• Share on-call responsibilities for the current service architecture and API gateway with the Work Order Execution (WOE) manager.

2. Technical & Architectural Ownership

• Own and drive the transformation of legacy work order authoring and work center systems into highly available, MCP rate-limited, and event-driven architectures.
• Implement modern, cloud-native designs leveraging AWS services to meet demanding performance, uptime (5-6 nines per year), and data integrity requirements.
• Ensure systems are robust, well-documented, maintainable, and architected to handle significant increases in volume and complexity.
• Take ownership of legacy services and outstanding development items, triaging and resolving technical debt while planning for scalable future enhancements.

3. Product & Cross-Team Collaboration

• Partner directly with technical program management and multiple product managers to deliver solutions aligned with current and future business needs.
• Guide the redefinition of work center domain systems, resolving data and workflow conflicts across multiple upstream/downstream systems.
• Drive integration of engineering best practices: CI/CD pipeline automation, integration and regression testing, and operational monitoring.
• Facilitate data contracts, API definitions, and event interfaces between MES, other Blue Origin teams, and external organizations.

4. Scalability, Reliability & Security

• Architect solutions for high reliability, building for 5-6 nines of annual uptime and providing resilient operation for multibillion-dollar manufacturing pipelines.
• Ensure scalability for future growth in volume, concurrency, and data-enabling Blue Origin to support missions of any size.
• Champion security, compliance, and data privacy in all facets of system and data flow design.

5. Advanced Capabilities & Partnerships

• Develop and deploy advanced ML and AI capabilities in partnership with MESAI and the Smart Factory organization to bring intelligence, automation, and predictive capabilities to work order systems.
• Lead technical discussions and establish a single unified vision for architecture and infrastructure across the work order authoring and work center domains.
• Collaborate closely with the MES Principal Engineer, technical leadership, and organizational directors to set engineering direction and define future-forward product capabilities.

6. Strategic Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the technical point of contact for senior executive stakeholders: manufacturing operations, enterprise technology (ET) CIO, and senior product management.
• Regularly travel as needed to communicate system roadmaps, communicate technical vision, and align with enterprise technology goals.
• Author specifications, technical documents, and executive updates detailing technology direction, risks, and achieved business outcomes.

Candidate Qualifications:

• Proven experience managing and developing software engineering teams delivering enterprise-scale, high-availability systems.
• Deep expertise in modern cloud architectures (preferably AWS), distributed systems, and event-driven designs.
• Demonstrated track record of transforming and scaling legacy systems for reliability, performance, and extensibility.
• Strong background in CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, API-first design, and operational monitoring.
• Experience with data contract negotiation and cross-team system integration in rapidly changing environments.
• Exposure to, or a willingness to integrate, advanced ML and AI techniques into large-scale production environments.
• Excellent communicator able to collaborate with technical, product, and executive stakeholders and drive alignment with strategic organizational goals.
• Comfortable with regular travel and engaging senior leadership within a dynamic, high-visibility environment.

Compensation Range for:
WA applicants is $191,265.00-$267,771.00

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.

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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, Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing (CDL drivers only), vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.

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.
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Discretionary bonus: Bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results.
• Eligibility for benefits varies by role type, please check with your recruiter for a comprehensive list of the benefits available for this role.

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

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