Fluids GSE Design Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO options

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Wisconsin is looking for a Fluids Ground Support Equipment Design Engineer to contribute to the design and installation of fluid systems for launch vehicles. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering and a minimum of 2 years of experience in fluid systems design.

This role involves designing and managing the fabrication of complex systems, conducting activation tests, and collaborating with technician teams to ensure operational functionality.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of recent experience with fluid systems or HVAC systems.
• Strong understanding of first-principles in fluids, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
• Hands-on experience building and troubleshooting complex fluid systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and manage fabrication of ground fluid systems including P&IDs and sizing calculations.
• Perform activation testing and write procedures focusing on safety.
• Coordinate with GSE technician team for fabrication and construction.

Skills

Fluid system design

Pneumatics

Hydraulics

3D CAD (Siemens NX/Teamcenter)

Thermodynamics

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

Distributed control systems

Job description

As a Fluids Ground Support Equipment (FGSE) Design Engineer, you will have the opportunity to leverage your creative background and expertise to help develop Firefly’s next generation of launch sites, test stands, and production equipment supporting Firefly’s entire fleet of launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will work in small collaborative groups, on fluid system design, installation, maintenance, and operation across our various facilities. This work includes preliminary and detailed design, installation, startup support, system baselining, performance analysis, and recommending upgrades.

Responsibilities

• Design of ground fluid systems includes developing P&IDs, tube & pipe sizing calculations for cryogenic, multiphase, compressible & incompressible fluids, valve/fitting/component specification and selection, design for critical safety equipment, basic control philosophy for system modifications, pipe & equipment coating & insulation specification and more
• Manage the fabrication, installation, checkout, and operation of these systems
• Coordinate & plan fabrication/construction with GSE technician team, including but not limited to:
  • Providing P&IDs and dimensional drawings for systems
  • Generating drawings and work instructions
  • Consideration of technician feedback in the design phase
  • Provide on-the-ground support and direction to build teams
• Coordinate with and perform work according to policy, procedures and specifications established by the Ground Support Equipment design team
• Maintain a high level of understanding of relevant requirements, engineering codes and piping standards including launch range requirements and ASME B31.1, ASME B31.3, ANSI, API, and applicable NFPA standards
• Participate in and lead internal design reviews, and operations readiness reviews, as well as represent Firefly during external design reviews
• Perform activation testing of your systems including determining test objectives, test requirements, detailed procedure writing with a focus on safety, executing test plans and procedures, and working with other teams as necessary
• Maintain and upgrade fluid systems as necessary, including crafting preventative maintenance plans for systems & equipment
• Troubleshoot fluid systems for nonconformance's, using the company’s nonconformance reporting system to engineering instructions, i.e. dispositions and work steps
• Travel to test and launch sites, as required, to support the company objectives

Qualifications

• Bachelors’ degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related engineering discipline
• Strong understanding of first-principles in fluids, heat transfer, and thermodynamics
• Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high pressure, fast paced environment
• Ability to self‑motivate and take the initiative to ensure your systems are functional and operating at peak performance
• Willingness and enthusiasm to take extreme ownership over a large or complex system
• Capable of balancing detailed design tasks with higher level project management style tasks, including budgeting, scheduling, and communications
• Capacity to organize, communicate, and lead in a multidisciplinary environment
• 2+ years of recent experience in a professional setting outside the classroom with fluid systems, pneumatics, hydraulics or HVAC systems in a design, assembly, test, or operations capacity
• Willingness to travel in support of GSE build and activation 30% of the time
• Cryogenic system design and operational experience
• Experience in an aerospace, R&D, or oil & gas environment
• Experience or familiarity with building or operating distributed control systems (instrumentation, data acquisition, DCS, SCADA, etc.)
• Strong 3D CAD experience, preferably in Siemens NX/Teamcenter
• Experience developing test and operational procedures
• Familiarity with ASME, NASA, and SSCMAN standards related to fluid system design
• 5+ years of recent experience in a professional setting outside the classroom with fluid systems, pneumatics, hydraulics or HVAC systems in a design, assembly, test, or operations capacity
• Hands‑on experience building, troubleshooting, and operating complex fluid or mechanical systems
• Direct experience with design and build of ground systems (GSE) or related fluid systems including, but not limited to test environments, fluid or gas conditioning/storage, manufacturing processes, and compressible gasses

Benefits

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.

Legal Requirement

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.