Aerospace Software Test Engineer III

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Parental leave

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Senior Software Engineer on the test team to lead testing strategies for Flight and Ground software used on our launch vehicles and spacecraft.

You will mentor junior engineers, drive automated testing pipelines for daily commits, and align testing efforts with customer requirements while shaping the testing organization’s direction.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 5–8+ years of formal software testing experience.
• Strong C/C++ and Python with Linux expertise.
• Experience leading agile practices and architectural test design.
• Proficiency with Git and CI/CD workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and architecture of complex test procedures in digital and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
• Architect and develop robust frameworks to automate test case execution and reporting.
• Mentor and review Merge/Pull Requests and guide junior engineers.
• Create comprehensive unit test strategies and document results.
• Ensure compliance with customer test requirements and guide implementation.
• Develop designs, plans, and schedules for maintainable software testing pipelines.
• Communicate milestones, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders.
• Champion software engineering best practices and continuous improvement.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Linux

Agile

Leadership

Test automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Git

CI/CD pipelines

NASA Trick Simulation Environment

Automation frameworks

Job description

ABOUT

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

SUMMARY

Your role as a Senior Software Engineer on the test team will be critical to the success of Firefly Aerospace Software for use on launch vehicles, spacecraft, and launch facilities. You will lead the development and implementation of comprehensive testing strategies in all-digital and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments for our Flight and Ground software. This will include leading software verification efforts where you will act as a senior technical reviewer and mentor for software changes.

You will be part of the Aerospace Software Engineering Group and will work closely with Flight Software, Ground Software, Guidance Navigation and Control Software personnel to provide thorough tests for our software before use on a launch vehicle, spacecraft, or launch site. You will also mentor junior engineers and contribute to the strategic direction of the testing organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the design and architecture of complex test procedures for testing our software in all-digital and hardware-in-the-loop simulation environments
• Architect and develop robust software frameworks for automating test case execution and report generation
• Lead and mentor team members in establishing automated testing pipelines for daily commits of new Ground and Flight Software and serve as a senior technical reviewer for Merge/Pull Requests
• Design and implement comprehensive unit test strategies
• Interpret and ensure compliance with customer test requirements, whether internal or external, and provide technical guidance on requirement implementation
• Develop and document requirements, designs, plans, and schedules with consideration for long‑term maintainability and scalability
• Provide accurate test development milestones and communicate them to stakeholders, identifying risks and proposing mitigation strategies
• Champion Firefly Aerospace Software Engineering development processes and best practices, driving continuous improvement initiatives

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience, with a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant projects and accomplishments
• 5 to 8+ years of experience with formal software testing
• Demonstrated leadership in software testing initiatives with proven track record of successful project delivery
• Strong C/C++ and Python expertise with ability to mentor others
• Extensive development experience under the Linux operating system
• Deep knowledge of the Agile Software Development Model with experience leading agile practices
• Proficiency with Git version control on commercial software products, including advanced workflows and branching strategies
• Experience with test automation frameworks and CI/CD pipelines
• Proven ability to work independently and lead technical initiatives

Preferred

• Expert-level C/C++ and Python development skills
• Experience architecting and implementing test frameworks and automation solutions
• Experience using the NASA Trick Simulation Environment
• Contributions to open-source projects or technical publications

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.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status