Chief Engineer, Spacecraft Electrical Systems

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

3-month sabbatical after 5 years

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Mental health services

Paid military leave

Dog-friendly workplace

401(k) with 4% match

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Austin, TX is seeking an Electrical Engineering Chief Engineer to provide technical leadership for design, development, and verification of spaceborne electrical and avionics systems.

You will define requirements, guide teams, and oversee product development from concept to flight qualification. This hands-on leadership role collaborates with Systems Engineering, Mechanical, Software, RF, and Mission Assurance to deliver flight-ready architectures and robust space

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, or Aerospace Engineering.
• 15+ years of progressive electrical/avionics experience in aerospace.
• Technical authority on flight hardware programs.
• Strong depth in spacecraft power, avionics/data handling, and harnessing.
• Experience with EEE parts selection and radiation mitigation.
• Leadership of multi-disciplinary teams and trade studies.
• Experience from concept to flight qualification including PCB, firmware, and systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Master's or Ph.D. preferred.
• Willingness to obtain security clearance if required.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical and avionics baseline and architectural direction.
• Define spacecraft and launch vehicle electrical architectures.
• Establish design standards, processes, and best practices.
• Lead development, allocation, and management of system requirements.
• Lead major design reviews and technical risk assessments.
• Drive modular architecture to maximize reuse across vehicles.
• Provide direction to electrical, power, avionics, FPGA/ASIC, firmware teams.
• Lead trade studies to optimize performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Ensure compliance with space environmental requirements.
• Define and guide integration and test strategies.
• Support failure analysis and anomaly resolution during development.
• Collaborate with Systems, Mechanical, Software, RF, and Mission Assurance.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to roadmaps and proposals.
• Improve processes and design-for-manufacturing practices.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Power systems

Spacecraft avionics

Mentoring

Proposal experience

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree or Ph.D. preferred

Tools

SpaceWire

CAN bus

MIL-STD-1553

Ethernet

Job description

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Austin, TX is seeking an Electrical Engineering Chief Engineer to provide technical leadership for design, development, and verification of spaceborne electrical and avionics systems.

You will define requirements, guide teams, and oversee product development from concept to flight qualification. This hands-on leadership role collaborates with Systems Engineering, Mechanical, Software, RF, and Mission Assurance to deliver flight-ready architectures and robust space