Electrical Engineer- Spacecraft Avionics II / III

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. seeks an Electrical Engineer - Spacecraft Avionics to design, develop, and test avionics systems for our spacecraft.

You will drive requirements verifications and test campaigns, interfacing with software, mechanical, propulsion, and structures teams to ensure integrated functionality. The role emphasizes hands-on hardware work, design verification and AIT support, with strong emphasis on Python, C/C++, and LabVIEW familiarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or equivalent. Aerospace exposure preferred.
• Experience with avionics design and verification.
• Hands-on testing and lab work.
• Familiarity with Python, C/C++, and LabVIEW.

Responsibilities

• Design electrical architectures for spacecraft avionics and integrate components.
• Lead AIT activities and support launch operations.
• Write and verify design and test procedures for avionics systems.
• Coordinate with software, mechanical, and propulsion teams.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Python

C/C++

Test equipment

Prototype circuits

SOP writing

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

Oscilloscope

Logic Analyzer

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.

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

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

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What does it take to make a lander space‑ready? ...

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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.

Electrical Engineer- Spacecraft Avionics II / III

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

A Firefly Electrical Engineer - Spacecraft Avionics is responsible for the design, development, and testing of avionics systems on our spacecraft. In this role, you develop the avionics systems, requirements verifications, and component/system level test campaigns. You also help developed and design the HIL system in order to verify functionality before spacecraft integration, interfacing with software, mechanical, propulsion, fluids, and structures teams to ensure the proper functionality of the integrated solution. You are responsible for developing and executing development schedules, system-level test and operations plans, and supporting launch day and on-orbit operations. You will be responsible for assisting the AIT team in proving‑out functionality of all avionics systems onboard the integrated vehicles. Previous spacecraft experience is highly preferred and electrical hands on experience is required. This role relies on strong electrical engineering principals in both analog and digital.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the entire process of designing the electrical architecture, testing and integrating avionics components onto the spacecraft
• Support assembly, integration, and test (AIT), launch integration, and on-orbit operations
• Intuitively understand the intention behind design decisions, and direct assembly and test operations based on those intentions
• Write and execute vehicle assembly procedures and electrical system functional validation processes
• Lead high-level, functional design and development of avionics systems for the current and future spacecraft
• Develop design verification, qualification, and acceptance test plans, and coordinate with the other avionics and manufacturing engineers and technicians to execute
• Recommend spacecraft function and reliability upgrades based on experience
• Requirement writing and verification for spacecraft avionics

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
• 3+ years of experience working with aerospace component development, testing, integration, or operations
• Experience in electrical engineering in both analog and digital circuit design, including usage of test equipment such as logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators, electronic loads, multimeters, and interpreting electrical schematics
• Experience performing trade studies and sensitivity studies to select the best architecture option
• Hands‑on experience with prototyping circuits and testing
• Requirement writing and verification
• Experience in technical writing, proper documentation, and SOP creations
• Candidate must have a proactive mentality with the ability to self‑start
• Experience with Python

The ideal candidate will possess one or more of the following:

• Experience with aerospace avionics system design, development, testing, or operations
• Experience with Power engineering, design, budgeting, and test
• Experience in software engineering, especially C, C++, Python, and Labview
• Experience with project planning, subcontractor management, and other project management skills
• Experience in industry standard root cause corrective analysis techniques, such as fault tree and fishbone analysis
• Experience in PCB and Hardware design
• Experience in the V-model design methodology
• Experience in Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA)
• Experience in GND and Bonding design of spacecraft
• Experience with environmental analysis and testing, including thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, shock, and vibration
• Familiar with NASA GEVS or SMC-016 environmental testing
• Familiar with MIL-STD461 EMC Testing
• Ability to collaborate effectively with other engineering disciplines and regulatory authorities.

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.