New Shepard Sr. Program Planning and Controls Specialist - Scheduling

We are a diverse 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 a small, passionate and accomplished team of experts, you will participate in the development of space launch vehicles. We are seeking a proactive, service-oriented individual with excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills that can thrive in a fast paced environment. This position will report to our New Shepard Program Planning & Controls leader, and this role will be integral in supporting the design, development, test, production and recurring launch of the New Shepard space vehicle system. In this hands-on position, you will work to increase the speed and efficiency of the New Shepard program by supporting the timely delivery, quality and transparency of program performance data and schedules to support the company’s business decisions. The candidate selected for this position will set a high bar for the program planning standards put in place for the New Shepard team and will be mentoring and developing other program planners. We are at an exciting inflection point as New Shepard transitions into a robust operational cadence and we mature our scheduling, planning, and reporting processes and systems to help enable launching more astronauts to space!

This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and will require your dedicated commitment and detailed attention towards safe and repeatable spaceflight. We are looking for someone to apply their technical expertise, leadership skills, and commitment to quality to positively impact safe human spaceflight. Passion for our mission and vision is required!

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain Program Schedule(s) within the Integrated Master Schedule and oversee integration of subordinate schedules and projects into a comprehensive data set
• Analyze scheduling procedures for process improvement opportunities, document and implement revised processes
• Manage stakeholders and drive organizational and cultural utilization of PP&C schedules through all levels of the program team
• Mentor and develop other program planners to meet high scheduling standards
• Perform schedule baseline change control, collect and track performance, conduct critical path and variance analyses
• Regularly gather status updates from varying stakeholders and data sources, maintain schedule health, and proactively analyze logic for accuracy and optimization opportunities
• Provide visibility, status, and regular reviews on schedule performance
• Communicate issues to stakeholders and provide mitigation recommendations
• Resource load, analyze, and optimize Program Schedule to meet required dates
• Collaborate with Responsible Engineers and Buyers to status critical procurements and impact to schedule
• Perform “what if” scenarios, and schedule risk assessments and help to develop recovery plans
• Provide support to program management in scheduling, resource planning, and reporting
• In collaboration with the Program Cost Analyst and Financial Analysts:
  • Perform budgeting and cost analysis
  • Develop and maintain cost and schedule integration
  • Track, trend, and monitor cost and analyze variances
  • Maintain programmatic risk logs and incorporation into IMS as appropriate
• Facilitate workforce planning and business unit resource supply and demand analysis
• Collaborate with PP&C counterparts across business units to develop new, and continuously improve existing, scheduling tools, processes, and reports
• Assist in the initial development of proposed baseline changes for consideration by change board(s)

​Qualifications:

• Self-starter, strong bias for action
• Experience and comfort with working in ambiguous environments and situations
• Experience establishing new programs and performing complete overhauls/replans of existing programs
• Analytical, organizational and problem solving skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Project Management, or Engineering. Broad/deep scheduling and planning skillset; Experience with large project controls, project planning and IMS; Proficiency with resource loaded schedules using Primavera (P6), Open Plan, MS Project, or other software
• 10+ years of experience in program scheduling/planning and controls  
• Robust understanding of scheduling best practices and experience implementing and adapting best practices in a variety of business environments
• Demonstrated success mentoring and developing lesser experienced planners and program teams
• Expert user of Primavera P6
• Strong computer skills (MS Excel, MS Project, MS Visio)
• Strong communication skills in technical work environments
• 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.

Desired:

• Experience establishing new program schedules
• Experience in aerospace research and development and manufacturing environments
• IPMR Customer Deliverables on EVM-required contracts
• Experience with Deltek Cobra, Empower, or other cost/schedule integration and analysis tools
• Successful support of programs through DCMA/DCAA, joint site surveillance, or other government audits.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: Budgeting, cost analysis, and financial reporting
• Proposal support including translation of BOEs into IMS’s upon award
• MBA, or Project Management certification (PMP/Certified Project Manager)

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government commercial space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawfully admitted for permanent residence into the U.S. (i.e. current green card holder), or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. §  1157-1158.   Learn more about the ITAR here. 

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, diverse, 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, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. 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, gender, 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. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.

Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Washington Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws.

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 at EEOCompliance@blueorigin.com.

Benefits

Employee Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability and 401(k) with up to 5% company match.

Paid Time Off:  Provides up to 4 weeks per year, in addition to 11 holidays