Supervisor - Quality & Continuous Improvement

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 diverse team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!  

Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance: This role is part of the Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance team. This team is focused on monitoring and assessing processes that guide Blue Origin’s design, manufacturing, and operations, ensuring system safety engineering, environmental health, and safety, product integrity, and continuous improvement processes.

New Glenn: This role supports the development and operations of New Glenn, a single-configuration, heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle capable of routinely carrying people and payloads to low-Earth orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, cislunar, and beyond. Its first stage is fully reusable, and the vehicle was designed from the beginning to be human-capable.

At Blue Origin, we are seeking a proactive Quality Control Supervisor to lead the validation of our aerospace components against strict engineering requirements, procedures, and standards. In this pivotal role, you will manage and oversee the dedicated team responsible for performing routine and specialized inspections, tests, and audits on diverse parts, assemblies, and finished products. Your remit includes ensuring adherence to the highest benchmarks defined by our precision engineering standards, where every component is expected to meet rigorous space-grade quality specifications. Tasked with seamless enforcement of quality standards, you will lead thorough inspections following established practices, utilizing a range of measuring tools, to ascertain conformity with detailed engineering blueprints and documentation. You will be at the forefront of establishing, implementing, and supervising inspection protocols, improving inspection processes as needed to realign with the cutting-edge developments in aerospace quality.

A key part of your role involves leveraging data and trend analysis to identify recurring defects or nonconformance patterns. Proactively analyzing these trends, you will accurately pinpoint systemic issues, which will form the basis of comprehensive reports and recommendations shared with Quality Engineers and management teams. By doing so, you will contribute significantly to continuous improvement initiatives, preventing future quality issues and enhancing the integrity of Blue Origin’s product line.

In order to maintain Blue Origin’s unwavering commitment to excellence, you will coordinate equipment calibration, champion the precise documentation of insights gleaned from quality testing, and verify adherence to statistical process controls. Your strategic approach to trend analysis, coupled with a robust feedback loop with the engineering and quality teams, will elevate our quality standards, thereby fostering Blue Origin’s mission to build a future where millions can live and work in space.

Special Mentions

• Relocation provided
• B Shift position 2:00pm - 10:30pm, Monday - Friday

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Supervise quality assurance dimensional inspection personnel in day to day operations
• Conduct performance reviews of employees
• Responsible for establishing work station assignments, employee training, overtime assignments and back-up for absent employees
• Identifies inspection processes or procedures that could benefit from process improvement or efficiency optimization and approves the implementation of changes.
• Maintain and communicate inspection status to ensure meeting customer expectations
• Provide first level escalation support to employees regarding HR issues (employee relations, worker’s compensation, disciplinary actions, time cards, PTO requests)
• Identifying Continuous Improvement opportunities and implementing change to improve process, reduce cycle and setup times
• Maintain shop measuring equipment calibration program ensuring all relative equipment is calibrated according to schedule
• Support quality management system policies and procedure documentation, assess compliance to company and industry standards, initiate and lead continual improvement and Lean manufacturing initiatives.
• Understand the department KPI’s metrics to improve performance
• Maintain all shop programs. These programs include 5S, Lean, Cleaning and Safety
• Ensure all team members follow work instructions, quality requirements and processes
• Ensure accurate machine shop staff data recording. Namely clock-in/clock-out activities
• Provide continued training and skills development for team members, and mentor early career team members
• Ability to perform interviews, evaluate talent and provide hiring recommendations
• Safely work within an industrial environment

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years’ proven experience production/manufacturing leadership position or inspecting aerospace components using precision hand tools, coordinate measurement machines (CMM), and other metrology equipment
• Familiarity with AS9100 or ISO9000 Quality Management System and/or related quality systems and programs
• Troubleshooting, Root cause and corrective action analysis experience
• Proficient in GD&T ASME Y14.5-2009
• Knowledge of machine shop practices (Turning, Milling, EDM, etc.)
• Ability to support manufacturing schedules (first or second shift) and overtime on as needed basis
• Strong communication skills with a heavy customer focus
• Ability to earn trust, maintain positive and professional relationships, and strengthen our culture of inclusion
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience creating, conducting, and delivering First Article Inspections Reports (FAIRs) and familiarity with AS9102
• Experience with quality tools such as Lean principles, Six Sigma, root cause analysis and corrective action
• Experience with advanced product quality planning (APQP), process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem solving approaches

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

Inclusivity 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 a diverse, inclusive, and 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.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

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, diverse, 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, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. 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, gender, 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 “EEO Is the Law,” please see here.

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com.

California Applicant Privacy Notice

If you are a California resident, please reference the CA Applicant Privacy Notice here.