Chief Engineer, Launch Vehicles

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

Cedar Park (TX)

On-site

USD 180,000 - 240,000

Full time

16 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Cedar Park, TX seeks a Chief Engineer to define vehicle-level architecture, optimize system trades, and lead risk management for spaceflight programs.

This role requires coordinating with Production, Quality Assurance, and Program Management to ensure mission success and technical integrity. You will act as the primary technical authority, guide interdisciplinary optimization, and travel to launch sites as needed while mentoring the engineering team from our Cedar Park

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
8+ years aerospace engineering experience at vehicle level.
Master's or PhD in engineering preferred.
Travel ~10% of the time for launch campaigns.
Strong communication and teamwork.
Experience with risk management and design configuration.
Experience with mission readiness and data reviews.

Responsibilities

Define vehicle-level architecture and capabilities.
Lead system-level trades to drive design and functionality.
Analyze mass, performance, power, and data budgets.
Chair vehicle-level design and milestone reviews.
Provide on-console support during tests and launches.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams across programs.
Mentor the team and support Chief Engineering leadership.

Skills

Engineering problem solving

Interdisciplinary systems

Travel ability

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Leadership mentoring

TS/SCI eligibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's or PhD in engineering

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Bitbucket

Teamcenter

Epsilon3

Odoo

Job description

At Firefly, we’re focused on making space attainable for everyone – including you! Each team member’s passion, dedication, and innovative ideas have a direct impact on fueling our successful trajectory into space. And there’s no shortage of meaningful projects to work on at Firefly. With launch, lunar, and orbital vehicles, Firefly has a diverse line of business with opportunities to get hands‑on experience launching rockets, operating in space, and landing on the Moon.

Our missions are powered by our incredible team …

Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the …

Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! …

This World Space Week, remember to look up and …

The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly …

Our Values

Headquartered in the Lone Star State, Firefly’s hardworking team reflects Texas’ GO BIG culture in everything we do. We build big, achieve big, and dream big. We’re building launch vehicles and spacecraft to provide rapid, reliable space access. We’ve achieved some incredible wins, including the first successful commercial Moon landing. And we’re dreaming bigger than this planet with ambitions to Mars, Venus, and beyond. Our core values are what drive us along the way.

Passion

Fireflies believe in perseverance, responsiveness, and mentoring others with a focus on inspiring a better future.

Accountability

Fireflies act with integrity and take ownership of our actions, commitments, decisions, and outcomes.

Fireflies work in alignment across teams and communicate clearly with mutual respect for one another.

Fireflies deliver high-quality work through technical rigor and timely disciplined execution for our customers.

We take care of our Fireflies with some of the best benefits in the industry. Our mission to make space for everyone starts with our employees and allowing them to make space for their family, their career, and their future.

Space for You

Unlimited PTO for exempt employees
3-month sabbatical for every 5 years of service
Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
Mental health services
Paid military leave

Space for Your Family

12 weeks paid maternity leave
4 weeks paid spouse leave
$20k towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption
Dog friendly workplace

Space for Your Career

$10k/year towards trade school or college
Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills
- Employee-ownership with stock bonuses
- 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching
- $10k bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas

Job Openings

From launch technicians to propulsion engineers, Firefly has open roles across the company. We’re looking for passionate, bright innovators to join our team and help make space an achievable dream for everyone.

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. 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

Chief Engineering serves as the technical cornerstone of Firefly's space ecosystem vision, defining vehicle‑level architecture and capabilities that reliably deliver missions from the surface of the Earth to the Moon and beyond. Chief Engineers are charged with integrating cutting‑edge technologies with disciplined risk management to ensure mission success while maintaining the highest standards of engineering excellence. As guardians of Firefly's technical integrity, Chief Engineers bridge the gap between visionary concepts and operational reality, empowering our company to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space. Anytime. Anywhere.

In this role, you will lead interdisciplinary optimization for your assigned program, serving as the customer‑facing technical point of contact throughout the full mission lifecycle. You'll conduct system‑level trades, analyze system commodity budgets, and develop innovative solutions that enhance vehicle capabilities. As the primary technical authority, you will ensure robust engineering rationale underpins all vehicle‑level decisions, ultimately enabling Firefly to achieve its mission of making space accessible through reliable, innovative transportation systems. Based at our Cedar Park headquarters, this position requires regular presence at our Production and Test facility in Briggs, TX as well as periodic travel to launch sites in Vandenberg, CA and Wallops Island, VA.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Define vehicle‑level architecture, capabilities, specifications, operations, and interdisciplinary optimization in alignment with Firefly objectives
Influence and direct configuration requirements by conducting, evaluating, and leading system‑level trades to drive innovation in vehicle design and functionality
Analyze and optimize mass, performance, power, and data budgets, ensuring technical feasibility and operational success
Chair vehicle‑level design and milestone reviews, holding the team to the Firefly and Program standards to meet the risk posture of the program
Develop innovative solutions for vehicle design and operations, integrating modern technologies to improve program capabilities
Identify creative ways to achieve standardization and commonality of component selection and integrated system designs across Firefly programs/product lines
Own the technical risk posture for assigned program/product and missions as the authority for vehicle risk
Actively reduce system vulnerabilities though robust root cause investigation, change management, corrective action, and risk mitigation/verification plans
Review and validate designs, work instructions, nonconformances, test plans, and test procedures across sub-systems
Manage program risks by identifying, mitigating, and tracking potential technical issues, while enabling cross‑department/program communication of impacts risks and associated changes
Provide real time (on-console) support for integrated test and launch operations, working to resolve live anomalies during mission operations
Lead interdisciplinary efforts in coordination with Business Development, Engineering, Program Management, and Operations for your assigned program/product
Collaborate with Production, Integration, and Quality Assurance departments to ensure seamless operations
Act as the primary technical point of contact for customers, vendors, and program partners across the full lifecycle (from proposal through end of mission data reviews)
Represent Firefly at conferences, reviews, and investor meetings
Lead Mission Readiness and Data Reviews to ensure the vehicle and personnel are ready to support missions for assigned program/product
Provide technical mentorship to the team and facilitate the training pipeline for the Chief Engineering team

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related discipline (e.g. computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry)
5+ years of hands‑on experience with engineering problem solving in design, analysis, test, or operations of launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems
Demonstrated ability to apply engineering fundamentals, including a strong understanding of interdisciplinary system interactions
Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time, with higher percentages in support of launch campaigns
Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and written
Flexibility regarding workflow and process
Excellent organization skills; willingness to work with a team, share expertise, and follow instructions to accomplish established goals
Master's or PhD degree in engineering or related discipline (e.g. computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry)
8+ years of professional, hands‑on experience in aerospace engineering field (design, analysis, manufacturing, test, or operations at the vehicle‑level)
Demonstrated competency with engineering design configuration, risk management, and change management
Ability to anticipate the impacts of vehicle‑level changes to launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems
Experience serving as the primary technical authority over a full launch service lifecycle, from kickoff to mission completion
On-console test experience or support of launch vehicle and/or spacecraft system operations
Experience with real‑time troubleshooting and anomaly resolution in high‑stakes environments
Comprehensive understanding of aerospace manufacturing processes, materials, and specifications
Knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry standards such as Range Safety, AS9100, and SMC Standards
Experience with Atlassian products (Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket), Teamcenter, Epsilon3, and/or Odoo
TS/SCI security clearance or ability to obtain one

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, 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.

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