Propulsion Engineer III (Spacecraft Fluids) Verified today

About Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly was the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first to achieve a successful Moon landing.

About the Role

The Propulsion Fluid Systems team designs, integrates, and operates all fluid subsystems across Firefly's spacecraft. As a Responsible Engineer, you will own the full lifecycle of hardware for Blue Ghost and Elytra spacecraft fluid systems, including requirements definition, design, analysis, development, test, and qualification. You will lead CAD design and analysis, collaborate with fabrication and integration teams, and support vehicle testing and launch operations.

Fluid Systems Engineers have deep technical knowledge, ownership of hardware from concept to flight, and clear communication with cross-functional partners including structures, propulsion, avionics, and vehicle systems. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who enjoys challenging assumptions, thrives in a fast-paced development environment, and seeks to make impactful contributions to Firefly's mission.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate full ownership of spacecraft fluid system requirements, design, and analysis from concept through flight.
• Lead development of innovative design concepts for propulsion integration and operations that reduce complexity and maximize reliability within program constraints.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for all spacecraft fluid systems.
• Author and present detailed design review presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing of flight hardware, including data analysis and reviews.
• Implement design-for-manufacturability improvements to increase production efficiency and vehicle reliability.
• Identify system-level risks, perform trade studies, and drive decisions to ensure successful vehicle operation.
• Develop and maintain automation tools and test data analysis capabilities.
• Support vehicle test and flight campaigns by providing console operations support.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and integration teams to develop processes, work instructions, and test procedures, and provide direct build support.
• Drive development of efficient test and flight operations for fluid systems and assist with troubleshooting during vehicle operations.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline
• 8+ years of experience in fluid systems engineering and/or propulsion
• Thorough understanding of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics
• Experience with tube or pipe design and layout
• Proficiency in modeling and analysis tools such as CAD, FEA, CFD, MATLAB, Python
• Deep knowledge of engineering fundamentals and a demonstrated history of applying first principles to arrive at simple, robust solutions
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills
• Hands-on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing
• Working knowledge of manufacturing, fabrication, integration, and quality control relevant to fluid components such as machining, inspection, assembly, and testing
• Knowledge of fluid components such as valves, regulators, pressure transducers, tubing, pressurized hardware, seals, and instrumentation, and experience performing fluid systems sizing analysis with such components
• Ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirements

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent field
• 10+ years of experience developing launch vehicle or spacecraft propulsion systems
• Knowledge of material selection and best practices for hypergolic systems
• Experience with fluid system subcomponent or pressurized component development, design, or testing such as valves, regulators, piping systems, pumps
• Experience working with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, flow meters, load cells, and accelerometers
• Experience conducting tubing/piping flexibility analysis using software packages such as Ansys, Caesar II, Bentley Autopipe
• Experience reducing the complexity of large integrated assemblies to reduce part count, cost, and lead time
• Demonstrated experience with full hardware lifecycle ownership, from blank-sheet design through full operation

Benefits

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.