Director, Launch Site

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 195,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. seeks a highly motivated leader to shepherd our fast-paced Launch Operations and Facilities team through each launch cycle.

A successful candidate enjoys leading multi-disciplinary teams to deep dive technical problems and is comfortable presenting to customers and leadership to ensure external needs are met. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, 5+ years of aerospace leadership, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Project Engineering or Aircraft Operations.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering and operations teams.
• 5+ years of aerospace leadership across complex systems.
• Strong communication skills in technical work environments.
• Experience with Atlassian products like Confluence & Jira.
• 5+ yrs running console operations for integrated vehicle and pad operations.
• Familiarity with version control systems like SVN, Bitbucket, etc
• Prior launch vehicle operations at test or launch facilities.
• Working knowledge of data viewing tools in Python, LabView, Matlab, etc.
• Experience in development and/or operations of launch vehicles.
• USG and Commercial launch proposal support.
• Familiarity with AFSPCMAN 91-710, RCC 319/324

Responsibilities

• Direct launch campaigns from pre-vehicle arrival pad preparations, integrated vehicle checkouts and on-pad launch operations.
• Lead daily tagups for vehicle and pad campaign operations to ensure pad and vehicle work is on track.
• Manage pad preventative maintenance team to maximize pad availability and reduce operational costs
• Identify opportunities to reduce launch campaign durations and scope
• Work with vehicle and operations teams to ensure all relevant procedures, documentation and tools are updated for vehicle or site upgrades
• Develop weekly operating rhythm to ensure pad maintenance, repairs and updates are on track to complete prior to vehicle arrival
• Work with program team to develop Integrated Master Schedule for the vehicle and pad operations for each flight
• Lead intermittent schedule status reviews with the Program Managers and executive leadership showing progress, forecast and schedule metrics
• Develop financial and resource budgets to meet program directed launch cadences and upgrades
• Participate or lead hiring activities for the launch operations and facility team members
• Coordinate with SLD/30 Safety Teams to guarantee deliverables, reviews and support for each mission
• Coordinate with on base Operations teams 2ROPS, 2SLS etc for each mission
• Ensure that all documentation, coordination, contracts, commodities and other required items are established and in place for each launch campaign

Skills

Leadership

Aerospace leadership

Multi-disciplinary teams

Communication

Launch operations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Project Engineering/Aircraft Operations

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

SVN

Bitbucket

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 ...

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

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

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

825 4

More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...

More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...

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

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

355 1

In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

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'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

Firefly seeks a highly motivated leader to shepherd our fast-paced Vandenberg Launch Operations and Facilities team through each launch cycle. A successful candidate enjoys leading multi-disciplinary teams to deep dive technical problems and is comfortable attending to customer/range presentations to ensure all external needs our met. Launch Operations are the last step in any launch vehicle value stream and require precision in every operation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Direct launch campaigns from pre-vehicle arrival pad preparations, integrated vehicle checkouts and on-pad launch operations
• Lead daily tagups for vehicle and pad campaign operations to ensure pad and vehicle work is on track.
• Manage pad preventative maintenance team to maximize pad availability and reduce operational costs
• Identify opportunities to reduce launch campaign durations and scope
• Work with vehicle and operations teams to ensure all relevant procedures, documentation and tools are updated for vehicle or site upgrades
• Develop weekly operating rhythm to ensure pad maintenance, repairs and updates are on track to complete prior to vehicle arrival
• Work with program team to develop Integrated Master Schedule for the vehicle and pad operations for each flight
• Lead intermittent schedule status reviews with the Program Managers and executive leadership showing progress, forecast and schedule metrics
• Develop financial and resource budgets to meet program directed launch cadences and upgrades
• Participate or lead hiring activities for the launch operations and facility team members
• Coordinate with SLD/30 Safety Teams to guarantee deliverables, reviews and support for each mission
• Coordinate with on base Operations teams 2ROPS, 2SLS etc for each mission
• Ensure that all documentation, coordination, contracts, commodities and other required items are established and in place for each launch campaign

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Project Engineering or Aircraft Operations (equivalent military or operations experience may meet desire)
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering and operations teams
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace leadership across complex systems
• Strong communication skills in technical work environments
• Experience with Atlassian products like Confluence & Jira
• 5+ yrs running console operations for integrated vehicle and pad operations
• Familiarity with version control systems like SVN, Bitbucket, etc
• Prior launch vehicle operations at test or launch facilities
• Working knowledge of data viewing tools in Python, LabView, Matlab, etc
• Experience in development and/or operations of launch vehicles
• USG and Commercial launch proposal support
• Familiarity with AFSPCMAN 91-710, RCC 319/324

Compensation: $195,000-240,000/year

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.