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Mission Assurance Director - Lunar Verified today

Blue Origin · 3 Locations · Space Systems · first seen 2026-10-07
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About the Role

Blue Origin is seeking a Mission Assurance Director to lead the safety and mission assurance function for the Human Landing System (HLS) program within the Lunar Permanence business unit. HLS is Blue Origin's crewed lunar lander, developed under NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the surface of the Moon.

You will be accountable for independent assurance of safety, quality, and mission success for a human-rated spacecraft system, from design and qualification through integration and test, launch campaign support, and crewed lunar operations.

You serve as the mission assurance authority across program milestones, working in close partnership with program, engineering, system safety, reliability, quality assurance, and EHS functional organizations, as well as directly with NASA. This role includes budget planning, organizational strategy, and high-level communication with senior executives, the customer, and across the organization.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the mission assurance authority for the Human Landing System program, providing independent oversight and technical judgment across the program lifecycle
  • Define, implement, and monitor the HLS mission assurance program, specifications, and processes to assure design, test, launch, and crewed mission success
  • Coordinate SQMA efforts across a matrixed team of system safety, reliability, and quality engineers to ensure safe and successful tests and missions
  • Provide inputs to program, test, and mission planning to ensure safety and mission assurance objectives are addressed at each development and certification gate
  • Coordinate with the program to establish and refine risk thresholds and goals for safety and mission success, and provide disposition of risks relevant to safety and mission success
  • Represent Mission Assurance at program, design, test, and material review boards
  • Ensure safety, reliability, hazard, and FMEA analyses are thorough and correct, and that derived requirements and mitigations are verified and closed
  • Serve as non-advocate for design, qualification, production, and flight readiness reviews, and for test and integration facility activation
  • Provide independent review of failure and defect root cause analyses, anomaly investigations, and mishaps, and provide non-advocate support to corrective and preventive action processes
  • Provide technical expertise to manufacturing and test activities to improve product safety, reliability, and quality
  • Interface directly with NASA on mission assurance requirements, compliance, and human rating certification activities
  • Establish, track, and report key performance metrics to SQMA and Lunar Permanence leadership to support program goals

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a technical field
  • 15+ years of experience in mission assurance, quality, reliability, or product integrity for complex hardware
  • Human spaceflight or launch vehicle certification experience, including familiarity with human rating requirements and processes
  • Strong proficiency with safety and mission assurance processes, analysis, and tools, including risk management, hazard analysis, FMEA, reliability analysis, and root cause analysis
  • Demonstrated success providing independent technical judgment and establishing risk thresholds that drive mission success on complex aerospace systems
  • Technical leadership experience driving workforce culture and process change and leading through influence
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including with senior executives and external customers

Preferred Qualifications

  • Direct NASA interface experience, including familiarity with NASA mission assurance and safety requirements
  • Experience on NASA crewed or human-rated programs
  • Launch vehicle and associated ground systems development experience
  • Experience supporting launch operations
  • Continuous Improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma knowledge and experience
  • Working knowledge of AS9100 or an equivalent quality standard, including audit and conformance experience

Compensation

Base pay range: CO applicants $160,618.00 to $224,864.85; WA applicants $169,624.00 to $237,473.25. Other site ranges may differ.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
  • Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability
  • 401(k) with company match of up to 5%
  • Education Support Program
  • Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week
  • Paid time off: up to four weeks per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays

Requirements

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin 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.

A standard background check is required for all positions.