Engineering Design Manager Jobs in Tacoma, WA (NOW HIRING)

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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 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.

We are a dynamic team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin's vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth.

As part of the New Glenn Blue Batteries (SBB), you will manage a small team that provides guidance and process control to the New Glenn program for batteries and avionics hardware. Scope of the BB is to develop processes and products for the design of the New Glenn orbital launch vehicles system and facilities. You must have a passion for mission assurance, a commitment to the fundamentals of system safety, system engineering, tools development for system engineering needs; and a strong capacity to work collaboratively on complex and interesting new problems across the entire New Glenn Program.

Responsibilities

• Lead the hardware and embedded software development activities within the overall terminal program.
• Build a high-performing team to deliver on the program goals.
• Translate system-level requirements into detailed technical plans, designs, and execution milestones for the assigned scope.
• Own day-to-day engineering execution for assigned hardware, firmware, integration, and validation workstreams.
• Collaborate closely with industrial design, systems engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to align priorities, risks, and technical decisions.
• Drive prototype bring-up, debugging, and verification.
• Support design for manufacturability, testability, reliability, and cost reduction efforts.
• Work with contract manufacturing partners and internal operations teams to support build readiness, test development, and design transfer activities.
• Ensure embedded software meets requirements for device bring-up, control, diagnostics, secure operation, and field update support.
• Track program milestones, surface technical risks early, and help resolve issues blocking execution.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to team development, technical reviews, and process improvement.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in hardware and embedded systems development, with at least 5 years in technical leadership or people management role.
• Background in embedded systems, board-level design, integration, and debugging.
• Experience developing connected hardware products through prototype, validation, and manufacturing phases.
• Familiarity with embedded platforms, firmware architecture, boot flows, and system bring-up.
• Working knowledge of power, thermal, digital, and mechanical constraints in complex hardware products.
• Experience partnering with cross-functional teams and external manufacturing partners.
• Strong problem-solving skills, technical judgment, and ability to execute within a larger program structure.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across teams.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree in electrical, mechanical or software Engineering, or related field.
• Experience with high-volume electronic product development and manufacturing.
• Experience supporting contract manufacturing builds and factory test development.
• Exposure to reliability engineering, failure analysis, or production issue resolution.
• Experience in fast-paced environments with aggressive development schedules.

Base Pay Range for:

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.

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.

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 (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
• Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

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.
• 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.
• Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

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

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 atEEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.