Sr. Manager - Software Engineering

Application close date:

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 part of a hardworking team of technology professionals, you are invited to join us as a Sr. Manager - Software Engineering. You will lead the Applications team - the group that administers Jira, Confluence, and a portfolio of enterprise applications, builds integrations and automations across them, and operates the AWS cloud infrastructure those applications run on. Jira and Confluence are used by everyone at Blue Origin; when the entire company plans work and shares knowledge, it runs on the platforms your team owns.

This is a hands-on leadership role with a clear mandate to transform how the team works. Today, much of the team's applications work is manual and ticket-driven. Your charge is to change that - moving the team from resolving requests by hand to building self-service tools and automating those requests away. AI is a core tool in this shift: you will put AI-assisted development and automation in your engineers' hands to accelerate how they build and how quickly they eliminate repetitive work. In parallel, you will mature and scale the team's operational backbone - the AWS infrastructure, patching, upgrades, and system health that keep everything running - raising operational rigor as the company grows.

Your team brings a range of skillsets and areas of focus - from application administration to infrastructure and operations - all working across the same set of applications. Leading them through this transformation means raising the technical bar, reshaping how work gets done, and bringing your people along, growing their skills as the team evolves.

This is a high-visibility leadership role that partners with every area of the company. When employees track work, collaborate on documents, and share knowledge - it is your team that keeps those applications available, integrated, and scaling with the company's growth.

What makes our managers successful?

• The vision to transform manual, reactive work into engineered, self-service solutions - and the conviction to see it through
• A track record of leading organizational change - reshaping how a team works and bringing people along as the team evolves
• Deep technical command of AWS services and application platforms - you lead from the front and go deep alongside your team
• A relentless focus on operational excellence - you automate ruthlessly and drive continuous improvement
• The ability to raise the technical bar of a team through strong coaching, mentorship, and a willingness to hold a high performance bar
• A customer-first mindset and desire to deeply understand the needs of the teams you support
• Hands-on leadership. Our managers lead from the front and the contributions they make are critical to the success of their teams

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead a team of eight engineers and admins responsible for the administration, integration, and reliability of Jira, Confluence, and Blue Origin's broader portfolio of enterprise applications, along with the AWS infrastructure they run on
• Transform the team from a manual, ticket-driven model into a software engineering practice that builds self-service tools and automates recurring requests
• Embed AI tools and AI-assisted development into the team's daily workflows to accelerate delivery and eliminate repetitive work
• Architect and guide the design of integrations and automations that connect enterprise applications and eliminate manual work
• Mature and scale the team's infrastructure and operations work - AWS infrastructure, patching, upgrades, and system health - raising operational rigor as the company grows
• Own the applications and infrastructure roadmap, making high-judgment decisions on prioritization and scheduling that impact employees across the company
• Oversee administration of enterprise applications including user provisioning, access controls, licensing, integrations, and vendor coordination
• Define and enforce SLAs/SLOs; establish robust monitoring, alerting, and incident management practices
• Participate in an on-call rotation and ensure the team maintains effective on-call coverage
• Lead capacity planning, upgrade planning, and disaster recovery efforts
• Partner with cybersecurity teams to ensure applications and infrastructure meet security and compliance requirements
• Manage vendor relationships for licensing and support contracts
• Hire and develop top-tier talent

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3 years in a managerial role.
• Experience leading organizational or operational change within a team - reshaping roles, processes, or ways of working
• Strong management experience building and leading teams that develop and operate software
• Experience operating application workloads on AWS in a production environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience transforming a manual, ticket-driven support function into an engineering-led, automated one
• Experience driving adoption of AI tools and AI-assisted development within an engineering or operations team
• Experience administering Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) at enterprise scale
• Track record of elevating team capabilities and driving operational maturity in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

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 (CDL drivers only), 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.