Director of DFX, Design Manufacturing Mechanical

Position: Director of DFX, Design for Manufacturing Mechanical
Application close date:10/1/2026

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.

Blue Origin's Tera Wave Operations is architecting a first-of-its-kind satellite connectivity manufacturing capability, and we are seeking a Director of DFX, Design for Manufacturing Mechanical to shape how it is built.

You will be at the center of translating cutting-edge hardware designs into scalable, high-quality manufacturing processes - from NPI through full rate production - while driving Design for Excellence principles across mechanical systems including Design for Assembly, Design for Manufacturability, mechanical tolerancing, structural design optimization, and Design for Reliability at the component and assembly level. Working in close partnership with engineering, product, and operations leadership, you will ensure that what we design can be manufactured with precision, reliability, and velocity t You Will DoDefine and own the DFM and DFX - Mechanical strategy, guiding programs from the earliest concept stages through mass production

Champion DFX principles across mechanical systems - DFA, DFM, DFR, and DFC - embedding them deeply into the product development process before design decisions become costly to reverse

Spearhead NPI efforts including prototype builds, prototype facility stand-up, factory line development, and the seamless transition to full rate production

Serve as a strategic partner to hardware engineering teams, leveraging simulation, tolerance stack-up analysis, GD&T, and DOE to drive design decisions that elevate manufacturability, testability, reliability, yield, and cost performance

Architect and scale factory automation strategies - including modular and reconfigurable approaches - to accelerate production ramp across varying program volumes

Recruit, develop, and inspire a world-class DFM and DFX engineering team, cultivating a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement

Establish robust manufacturing assembly processes spanning mechanical, electronic, molding, stamping, forming, and machining disciplines

Define and enforce rigorous mechanical DFX review gates throughout the product development lifecycle, proactively identifying and eliminating tolerance, assembly, and reliability risks before they reach the factory floor

Lead failure analysis and corrective action processes that drive measurable improvements in quality, throughput, and FPY outcomes

Collaborate with global supply chain and supplier partners to align on process requirements and manufacturing readiness at every stage

Define, track, and communicate key manufacturing and DFX metrics, translating operational performance into clear insights for senior leadership

What You Bring
15+ years of experience in consumer electronics or hardware manufacturing engineering, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role Exceptional depth in NPI, prototype facility stand-up, factory line development, and manufacturing assembly across complex mechanical and electronic systemsA distinguished track record of applying mechanical DFX methodologies - DFM, DFA, DFR, GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and statistically based DOE - across high-complexity hardware programs

Demonstrated success standing up manufacturing operations and prototype facilities from the ground up and scaling them to high volume production

Commanding expertise in factory automation, failure analysis, process development, and yield improvement with measurable cost savings and FPY results to show for itA proven ability to shape product design decisions early in the development cycle, mitigating downstream manufacturing and quality risk before it…