Composite M&P Engineer III

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

Austin, Northern (TX, KY)

Hybrid

USD 120,000 - 160,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a Composite M&P Engineer III to support design, manufacturing, testing and R&D on carbon fiber and nonmetallic materials. You will evaluate new materials, perform failure analysis, and provide timely solutions with stakeholders.

The role is based at Briggs, TX, north of Cedar Park, with frequent collaboration across teams. We value innovative, self-driven engineers who can guide material-related decisions, drive improvements, and mentor others while maintaining

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering, Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
5+ years in polymeric materials research, testing or manufacturing.
Broad understanding of composite material processes for aerospace applications.
Willingness to travel up to 10% to support customers and sites.

Responsibilities

Research and select composite materials and processes for structural applications.
Design and perform material testing, microscopy, failure analysis and thermal/mechanical tests.
Develop material specifications and drive process improvements.
Provide technical support to manufacturing and design teams and RCCA when needed.
Mentor junior staff and share knowledge across the organization.

Skills

Materials engineering

Polymer science

Carbon fiber composites

Mechanics

Failure analysis

Materials testing

Statistical design

Technical writing

Interpersonal skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering / Polymer Science / Mechanical Engineering

5+ years in polymeric materials research, testing or manufacturing

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Microscopy

NDE methods

Thermal analysis

Mechanical testing

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.

This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...

The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly ...

825 4

More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...

Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives ...

355 1

In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

319 9

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 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

The Composite M&P Engineer III will apply their broad technical knowledge and experience to support design, manufacturing, testing and R&D projects. The candidate must be innovative and a self-starter who works well in a team environment and has excellent interpersonal skills. The candidate will form an integral part of the advanced materials department, a team of engineers and technicians that are a focal for material related support for the company.

The candidate will serve as an experienced materials engineering to focus in carbon fiber composites and nonmetallic materials. The candidate will be expected to evaluate new materials, perform failure analysis, provide technical support to our internal and external customers, and provide innovative and timely solutions to meet company objectives. This engineer must identify opportunities for improvement, review solutions with relevant stakeholders, and take action to drive any improvements to completion without direct pressure or supervision. This role is located at our manufacturing and test site in Briggs, TX, north of Cedar Park.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Research and select composite materials and processes for structural applications on existing or new designs.
Design, lead and perform related material testing and evaluations, such as microscopy, failure analysis, thermal analysis techniques and mechanical testing.
Execute characterization and allowable campaigns.
Develop, implement and maintain materials and processes technical specifications.
Drive statistically driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns.
Provide technical support for manufacturing and design teams in the areas of non-metallic material and processes selection and optimization, qualification, and inspection that impact product quality, reliability, durability, and capability.
Lead or support material failure analysis and root cause corrective actions (RCCA).
Define or refine materials technology roadmaps and partner with internal and external Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Universities, National Labs, etc. to advance materials development for Firefly products in advance of business need.
While maintaining focus on quality, reliability, performance, cost and development predictability; provide consulting and support for unplanned critical needs.
Provides guidance, coaching and training to other materials engineering employees, mentors junior staff and broadly shares experience and knowledge across the organization.
Represent Firefly on various industry task groups related to metallic materials and manufacturing (AMS, ASM, Nadcap, SAMPE, etc.).
Develop and implement improved process control where possible using test and NDE results as a feedback loop.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Bachelors degree in Materials Engineering, Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent Engineering/Science role.
5+ years of experience in polymeric materials research, testing or manufacturing.
Broad technical understanding of several composite material processes and operations including, but not limited to, out-of-autoclave processes, composites and polymer joining and surface engineering for aerospace applications.
A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company.
Experienced in coordinating and conducting laboratory work and data analysis to drive technical materials engineering decisions.
Ability to travel to customers and other Firefly sites up to 10% of the time.
Advanced degrees in Materials Engineering, Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience with emphasis on Composite materials.
7+ years of experience in carbon fiber composite materials research, testing, processes or manufacturing.
Direct experience in carbon fiber prepreg systems.
Prior knowledge of structural composite characterization, testing standards and processing.
Expert in material testing, (Mechanical, thermal, microscopy, NDE, failure mode & root cause analysis), data analysis and technical writing.
Experience working with industry standards, such as ASTM, ASM, NASA and ISO, and their uses, limitations, and applications.
In-depth knowledge of materials process technologies and their impact on material behavior and product performance (Process-Property-Performance relationships).
Track record of innovation and delivering strategic business results in the context of materials engineering solutions.
Demonstrated ability to organize technical theories and develop testing methods, correlate material properties with product performance and predict various failure modes

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.

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