Composites Manufacturing Engineer Lead

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

Texas

On-site

USD 110,000 - 170,000

Full time

20 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a highly experienced Manufacturing Engineer to join the Structures Department in Texas. You will lead tooling and fixture development, drive continuous improvement, and ensure aerospace composites meet strict quality and schedule requirements.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with design, manufacturing and QA, and implement lean manufacturing practices, Six Sigma, and cost-reduction initiatives to deliver high‑quality aerospace components.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
10 years of experience in carbon fiber composite aerospace manufacturing.
Proficiency with CAD tools for tooling/fixturing design.
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Lean, Six Sigma or similar process-improvement experience.

Responsibilities

Lead design and development of tooling, fixtures, and production equipment for aerospace composite components.
Drive continuous improvement to optimize efficiency, quality, and cost.
Own hardware development and production processes, ensuring schedules are met.
Develop and implement tooling/fixturing solutions to improve manufacturing throughput.
Provide guidance on fabrication and part expertise to cross‑functional teams.
Mentor less experienced engineers and collaborate with design, manufacturing, and quality teams.

Skills

Team leadership

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAD software

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 ...

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What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family?
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Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ...

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Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ...

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

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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.

We are seeking a highly motivated and dedicated Manufacturing Engineer to join our Structures Department. As part of a small, fast‑paced, and passionate team you will be instrumental developing the world’s largest liquid fueled all composite rocket and implementing full rate production on our current vehicle and programs.

You will be responsible for developing tooling and fixtures for development programs as well as production programs, driving continuous improvement initiatives, optimizing processes, developing brand new processes, and providing technical expertise to enhance our production capabilities. This role will give you a wide variety of opportunities. This position requires a strong background in engineering, extensive experience with practical problem solving and the ability to learn quickly.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage team member tasking and priorities based off schedule IMS needs.
Act as Integrated Product Lead for Manufacturing team.
Train and coach team members on complex problem solving.
Lead the design and development of tooling, fixtures, and production equipment necessary for the manufacturing of aerospace composite components. This includes selecting appropriate materials and manufacturing processes to meet specific aerospace industry standards.
Continuously evaluate and enhance manufacturing processes, tooling, and fixtures to optimize efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Implement improvements to increase production capacity and reduce cycle times.
Take ownership of hardware development and production processes, ensuring adherence to schedules and driving continuous improvements.
Develop and implement innovative solutions for tooling and fixturing to enhance manufacturing efficiency and quality.
Act as the primary point of contact for all aspects related to part expertise, including understanding intricacies of the hardware and providing guidance on its fabrication.
Support manufacturing floor operations by actively engaging with production teams to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes.
Create detailed work instructions and procedures to standardize manufacturing processes and ensure consistency in product quality.
Lead the resolution of nonconformance issues by assessing root causes and implementing corrective actions to bring parts back into compliance.
Demonstrate exceptional problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to addressing challenges in a fast-paced environment.
Work closely with cross‑functional teams, including design, manufacturing, and quality, to ensure the seamless integration into the production process.
Manage and oversee manufacturing programs, ensuring they meet quality, cost, and schedule requirements.
Identify and address production challenges, implementing effective solutions to ensure the timely delivery of high‑quality aerospace components.
Implement and maintain rigorous quality control measures to meet industry standards and customer expectations.
Identify cost‑saving opportunities and participate in cost reduction initiatives while maintaining product integrity.
Champion a culture of continuous improvement, driving Lean and Six Sigma principles throughout the manufacturing process.
Mentor less experienced engineers

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related Engineering field.
10 years experience in carbon fiber composite aerospace manufacturing
Strong technical aptitude and ability to quickly become an expert on complex hardware.
Proficiency in CAD software for developing tooling and fixturing designs.
Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams.
Demonstrated track record of driving process improvements and delivering results in a fast‑paced environment.
High level of initiative, self‑motivation, and ability to thrive in a dynamic and challenging work environment.
Excellent problem‑solving and analytical abilities.
5+ years working in a aerospace manufacturing or engineering environment with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or similar area.
Master's degree is a plus.
Automated Fiber Placement experience
Quick‑turn custom composite tooling design and fabrication
Six Sigma or Lean manufacturing Black Belt certification

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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