Chief Systems Engineer, Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

Firefly Aerospace; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Relocation assistance

Educational reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Chief Engineer to define vehicle-level architecture and lead interdisciplinary optimization for missions from LEO to beyond. You will manage system trades, analyze budget constraints, and serve as the primary technical authority across the full mission lifecycle.

Based at our Briggs, TX facility, you will mentor teams and ensure robust engineering rationale for all vehicle decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related discipline.
• 8+ years hands-on experience solving engineering problems in design, analysis, test, or operations of launch vehicle/spacecraft systems.
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics.
• Willingness to travel ~10% of time; higher during testing/launch.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; flexible and organized.

Responsibilities

• Define vehicle-level architecture, capabilities, specifications, operations, and interdisciplinary optimization.
• Lead system-level trades to drive innovation in vehicle design and functionality.
• Analyze budgets (mass, delta‑V, power, data) for feasibility and success.
• Chair design reviews and ensure adherence to standards and risk posture.
• Provide real-time technical support during missions and operations.

Skills

Orbital mechanics

System architecture

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Change management

On-console mission support

Regulatory compliance ITAR

Communication skills

Problem solving under pressure

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's or PhD in engineering

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Bitbucket

Teamcenter

Epsilon3

Odoo TS/SCI security clearance or ability to obtain one

Job description

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Chief Engineer to define vehicle-level architecture and lead interdisciplinary optimization for missions from LEO to beyond. You will manage system trades, analyze budget constraints, and serve as the primary technical authority across the full mission lifecycle.

Based at our Briggs, TX facility, you will mentor teams and ensure robust engineering rationale for all vehicle decisions.