Manufacturing & Tooling Development Engineer III

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! As a member of the Blue Origin family of companies, Honeybee Robotics has been at the forefront of robotics for over 40 years.

Our Colorado location specializes in creating advanced motion control solutions for NASA, defense, and commercial programs. Our work has played a critical role in thousands of projects, spanning from conceptual design studies to flight missions, including NASA's Artemis I Mission and the Roman Space Telescope.

Blue Origin is seeking an experienced Manufacturing & Tooling Development Engineer III to lead the design, development, and validation of assembly tooling, fixtures, and aids supporting the build and integration of complex precision mechanical assemblies. You will serve as the technical authority for assembly tooling and fixturing across the product lifecycle — from early design engagement through production implementation — driving build quality, assembly repeatability, and schedule performance in support of high-volume production for Tera Wave motion control products.

Lead the end-to-end design and development of assembly fixtures, build aids, handling fixtures, installation tools, and torque tooling for complex precision mechanical assemblies including actuators, gearboxes, motors, and integrated motion control units. Define assembly fixture requirements based on component geometry, assembly sequence, interface constraints, and production rate needs; generate complete tooling design packages including 3D models, detailed drawings, BOMs, and acceptance criteria.

Apply sound locating, clamping, and datum referencing principles to ensure assembly fixtures deliver repeatable, process-capable builds across production volumes and operator skill levels. Design tooling solutions that support manual, semi-automated, and potentially robotic assembly operations, including part presentation fixtures, press and insertion aids, alignment fixtures, and subassembly holding fixtures. Design handling and transportation fixtures to protect sensitive assemblies and subassemblies during build and inspection operations.

Evaluate and select tooling materials, coatings, and construction methods appropriate for the expected wear life, assembly environment, and production cycle requirements. Tooling Validation & Qualification. Develop and execute formal assembly tooling validation plans, including dimensional verification, fit checks, assembly runoff studies, and repeatability assessments prior to production release. Define and document acceptance criteria for new and modified assembly tooling; generate tooling qualification reports summarizing validation results and production readiness disposition.

Collaborate with quality engineering to ensure assembly fixtures and gauging solutions are metro logically sound and support traceability to inspection and assembly requirements. Perform or support first article build events using new tooling to verify that fixtures achieve intended assembly outcomes before full production release. Identify and resolve assembly tooling nonconformances, wear patterns, or repeatability issues encountered during production; implement corrective actions and document lessons learned.

Review engineering drawings and 3D models for GD&T compliance per ASME Y14.5, with particular emphasis on datum selection, feature control frame applicability, and tolerancing…