Chief Engineer – Electrical Engineering

Firefly Aerospace; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Austin, TX seeks an Electrical Engineering Chief Engineer to provide technical leadership for design, development, integration and verification of spaceborne electrical and avionics systems. You will act as the technical authority for spacecraft electrical architectures across multiple programs, defining requirements and guiding teams to flight-ready hardware.

This hands-on leadership role requires mentoring engineers, chairing reviews, and driving standardization, reuse,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer/Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 15 years of progressive experience in electrical or avionics engineering for aerospace systems.
• Technical authority or chief engineer on flight hardware programs owning architecture and design integrity through development, integration, test and flight.
• Strong depth in spacecraft/launch vehicle power systems, avionics, data handling and related bus standards (SpaceWire, CAN, MIL-STD-1553).
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and balancing technical performance with cost and schedule.
• Experience taking designs from concept to high TRL flight qualification including PCB, firmware and system integration/test.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for leadership and external customers.
• Willingness to obtain security clearance if required.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical baseline and architectural direction for electrical and avionics systems across Hardware, Firmware, Harnessing, Launch Vehicle, and Spacecraft Systems.
• Define and own spacecraft and launch vehicle electrical architectures including power generation/distribution/storage, command and data handling, interfaces and harnessing.
• Establish and enforce electrical engineering design standards, processes and best practices.
• Lead the development, allocation, and management of system and subsystem electrical requirements with traceability, verification, and validation.
• Lead and chair major design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR) and risk assessments; sign off on design maturity.
• Drive the common modular architecture to maximize reuse across launch vehicles and spacecraft.
• Provide technical direction and oversight to electrical power, avionics, FPGA/ASIC, firmware and harness teams; review ICTs, schematics, power budgets, test plans.
• Lead trade studies on power architectures, redundancy, radiation tolerance, derating, thermal/electrical interfaces.
• Ensure compliance with space environmental requirements, radiation, EMI/EMC, and qualification/derating of EEE parts.
• Define and guide integration and test strategies (F/T testing, hardware-in-the-loop, TVAC, vibration, TVAC, EMI, system verification).
• Support failure analysis, anomaly resolution, and root-cause corrective actions during development, integration, and on-orbit operations.
• Collaborate with Systems, Mechanical, Software, RF, GNC, Mission Assurance to ensure balanced vehicle designs.
• Mentor engineers, promote rigorous engineering practices and a culture of technical excellence.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Technical leadership

Spacecraft power systems

System integration

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree or PhD preferred

Job description

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

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

Summary The Electrical Engineering Chief Engineer will provide technical leadership for the design development integration and verification of spaceborne electrical and avionics systems In this role you will serve as the technical authority for spacecraft electrical architectures across multiple space programs You will define component and system level electrical requirements guide multi disciplinary engineering teams ensure design integrity through all lifecycle phases and interface directly with internal leadership to achieve mission and business objectives As a leader in technology development you will be responsible for visionary new product development including research and development into emerging technology prototyping new designs generating basic software and firmware as needed to create proof of concept and providing technical oversight to the product design team to develop concepts into flight qualified hardware solutions This is a hands on technical leadership role You will work closely with the Director of Electrical Engineering technical leads Systems Engineering and Program Management to deliver robust flight ready electrical systems

Responsibilities

• Own the technical baseline and architectural direction for electrical and avionics systems across Hardware Firmware Harnessing Launch Vehicle Systems and Spacecraft Systems
• Define and own spacecraft and launch vehicle electrical architectures including power generationdistributionstorage command and data handling communication interfaces and harnessing
• Establish maintain and enforce electrical engineering design standards processes and best practices
• Lead the development allocation and management of system and subsystem electrical requirements ensuring traceability verification and validation
• Lead and chair major design reviews SRR PDR CDR TRR FRR and technical risk assessments; sign off on design maturity and readiness
• Drive the common modular architecture effort to maximize reuse and commonality across launch vehicles and spacecraft
• Provide technical direction and oversight to electrical power avionics FPGAASIC firmware and harness teams; review and approve key design artifacts analyses schematics ICDs power budgets and test plans
• Lead trade studies power architectures redundancy component selection radiation tolerance derating thermalelectrical interfaces to optimize performance cost schedule and risk
• Ensure compliance with space environmental requirements radiation EMIEMC thermal vacuum launch loads and guide EEE parts selection qualification and derating
• Define and guide integration and test strategies including functional testing hardware in the loop environmental qualification vibration shock TVAC EMI and system level verification
• Support failure analysis anomaly resolution and root causecorrective action during development integration test and on orbit operations
• Collaborate closely with Systems Engineering Mechanical Software RF GNC Mission Assurance and other disciplines to ensure balanced integrated vehicle designs
• Support department management with producttechnology roadmaps IRAD direction proposal technical volumes BOEs risk assessments and new business capture
• Mentor and develop engineers at all levels promoting rigorous engineering practices and a culture of technical excellence
• Continuously improve internal processes tools analysis methods and design for manufacturingtest practices

Qualifications Required

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field
• 15 years of progressive experience in electrical or avionics engineering for complex aerospace systems launch vehicles andor spacecraft including significant technical leadership responsibility
• Demonstrated experience as technical authority or chieflead engineer on flight hardware programs owning architecture and design integrity through development integration test and flight
• Strong technical depth in spacecraftlaunch vehicle power systems avionicsdata handling including common buses such as SpaceWire CAN MIL STD 1553 Ethernet harnessing and related disciplines
• Proven experience with EEE parts selection and derating radiation effects TID SEE and mitigation requirements management and space environmental qualification
• Track record leading multi disciplinary teams conducting trade studies resolving complex technical issues and balancing technical performance with cost and schedule constraints
• Experience taking designs from concept through high TRL flight qualification including PCB assemblies firmware and system level integration and test
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to prepare and present complex technical material to engineering teams leadership and external customers
• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced environment and collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines
• Desired Masters Degree or PhD preferred
• Direct experience with modular avionics architectures and design for reuse across multiple vehicle platforms
• Hands on background in board level design FPGAASIC development or harness design and analysis
• Experience supporting on orbit operations anomaly resolution and post flight analysis
• Familiarity with configuration management requirements management tools and technical baseline control in a flight hardware environment
• Prior experience providing technical content for proposals and supporting new business capture
• Knowledge of relevant industry standards MIL STD ECSS NASA or equivalent and best practices for space electrical systems
• Ability and willingness to obtain a security clearance if required