David B. Powell
About David B. Powell
David B. Powell is the Director of Manufacturing, Operations, and Assembly at BLUE ORIGIN, with extensive experience in engineering and manufacturing roles across various companies.
Company
David B. Powell is currently employed at BLUE ORIGIN, a pioneering aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company. He holds the position of Director - Manufacturing, Operations, and Assembly, based in Cape Canaveral, Florida. David has been with BLUE ORIGIN since 2020 and has undertaken various significant roles within the organization in both Cape Canaveral, FL and Kent, WA.
Title
David B. Powell serves as the Director - Manufacturing, Operations, and Assembly at BLUE ORIGIN. His responsibilities include overseeing the manufacturing processes, operations management, and assembly protocols crucial to the company’s aerospace projects. Previously, he held several key positions including Director, Composites Production, and Principal Manager, Composites Production.
Education and Expertise
David holds a BSME&MS in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Duke University. Additionally, he studied Engineering Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His expertise encompasses composite materials, LEAN and Six Sigma methodologies, production control, and MES systems. He brings extensive experience in greenfield business builds, mergers and acquisitions, and large-scale engineering programs.
Professional Background
David’s career spans numerous leadership roles across prestigious organizations. He spent six years as Vice President at Triton Systems, managed as General Manager at Ranor, Inc., and worked as Manager at Composite Optics, Inc. Additionally, he contributed significantly at Space Exploration Technologies as Senior Manager in Manufacturing Engineering and served in leadership roles at Southern Research Institute. David also has international experience managing engineering and manufacturing operations.
Management and Financial Expertise
David is skilled in managing organizations of 30 to 200 people and overseeing complex programs with budgets exceeding $20 million. He is responsible for profit and loss management of $25 million and capital expenditures of $30 million annually. His expertise in large-scale engineering and quality-intensive programs for both government and industry sectors showcases his extensive capability in financial management and operational execution.