Principal Program Manager, Interview Experience

Principal Program Manager for Interview Experience, Candidate Experience, and Bar Raiser Program

Blue Origin is assembling the leadership team that will enable humanity's future in space. As Principal Program Manager for Interview Experience, Candidate Experience, and our Bar Raiser Program, you will own and evolve the systems that determine who joins Blue Originand how they experience us along the way. This is a founding-level opportunity to build net-new strategy in a space with enterprise-wide visibility, direct executive sponsorship, and a mandate to raise the bar (literally) on hiring quality across the company.

You will be the definitive voice on interview and candidate experience at Blue Origin, translating hiring quality signals into action, and building programs that scale with our growth while preserving the rigor that keeps our talent bar high. This role requires someone equally comfortable in a whiteboard strategy session with the CPO and in the operational details of interviewer calibration data.

Responsibilities

Own the Strategy

• Architect Blue Origin's end-to-end candidate and interview experience strategyfrom first touch through offeridentifying where we lead the industry and where we must improve
• Design and scale the Bar Raiser Program, including selection criteria, calibration mechanisms, and governance that protects hiring quality as the company scales
• Develop net-new frameworks, tools, and interventions where no existing playbook exists; you are expected to build the plane while flying it
• Define what "great" looks like for candidate and interviewer experience, and build the measurement systems to prove it

Influence at the Highest Levels

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadershipincluding the CEO and CPOon hiring quality, interview effectiveness, and candidate experience risk
• Translate qualitative feedback and quantitative signals (interview scores, time-to-decision, candidate NPS, offer-accept rates, bar raiser calibration data) into narratives that drive executive decisions
• Build the business case and secure executive sponsorship for structural changes to how Blue Origin interviews and evaluates talent
• Navigate and resolve tension between hiring velocity and hiring quality at the executive level

Drive Enterprise-Wide Execution

• Partner with TA leaders, hiring managers, business unit leaders, and HR partners across global operations to implement consistent, high-quality interview practices
• Establish governance and escalation frameworks for interview and bar raiser program healthincluding risk identification (e.g., calibration drift, interviewer capacity, candidate drop-off)
• Build and lead a coalition of Bar Raisers across the org, including their training, certification, ongoing development, and recognition
• Coordinate cross-functionally to ensure interview practices scale consistently across business units, levels, and geographies without becoming bottlenecks

Build for Scale and Quality Simultaneously

• Design interview processes and tooling that scale with hypergrowth while protecting signal quality and reducing interviewer fatigue
• Institute analytics frameworks connecting interview/candidate experience metrics to downstream outcomes (quality of hire, retention, time-to-fill, employer brand)
• Pioneer use of new tools/technology (including AI-enabled interview support, scheduling, and feedback tools) to improve efficiency without compromising rigor
• Continuously benchmark against industry best practices and challenge Blue Origin's own conventions to drive breakthrough improvements

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years leading enterprise-scale talent acquisition programs, with specific experience in interview process design, candidate experience, and/or bar raiser/hiring quality programs
• Demonstrated success building and scaling net-new programs from ambiguitynot just optimizing existing systems
• Proven track record influencing and partnering with C-suite/VP-level stakeholders, including navigating disagreement and driving alignment
• Deep expertise in interview methodology, calibration systems, and hiring quality frameworks
• Strong data literacy with ability to build metrics frameworks that connect interview practices to business outcomes
• Experience leading change management across a global, cross-functional organization
• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience building or scaling an Interview Experience program (or equivalent structured hiring quality program) at a high-growth or high-bar organization
• Advanced degree in Business, HR, Organizational Psychology, or related field
• Track record of thought leadership (speaking, publishing, or industry recognition) in talent acquisition or hiring quality
• Experience integrating AI/emerging technology into interview or candidate experience workflows
• Demonstrated ability to operate with high autonomy in a "zero-to-one" capacity, building programs where none existed

Why This Role Matters

Every person who joins Blue Origin passes through the systems you will own. Get it right, and you build the workforce that puts humanity in space. This is not a caretaker roleit's a mandate to define what world-class interviewing and candidate experience looks like for one of the most ambitious missions on Earth (and beyond it).

Base Pay Range

WA applicants is $157,059.00 - $219,882.60

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