Fluids GSE Design Engineer III

Firefly Aerospace Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO for exempt employees

3-month sabbatical after 5 years

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid military leave

Education reimbursement

Job summary

An innovative aerospace company based in Austin, Texas is seeking a Fluids Ground Support Equipment Design Engineer. You will design fluid systems for launch vehicles and manage fabrication, installation, and testing. Ideal candidates have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 5+ years in related fields. Outstanding benefits include flexible PTO and educational reimbursement. Join this dynamic team to contribute to ambitious projects in the space sector.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of recent experience in fluid systems, pneumatics, hydraulics or HVAC systems.
• Ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel 30% of the time to support GSE build.

Responsibilities

• Design ground fluid systems including P&IDs and tube sizing calculations.
• Manage fabrication, installation, and operation of these systems.
• Provide support and direction to build teams.

Skills

First-principles in fluids

Heat transfer

Thermodynamics

3D CAD experience

Project management

Troubleshooting

Communication

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related engineering discipline

Tools

Siemens NX/Teamcenter

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. 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 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.

“You miss all the shots you don’t take. If this is something that interests you, then apply. Being a dedicated, driven team player can carry you far. You can learn about rockets, it’s much harder to learn dedication and passion.” – Meagan Roth, Sr. Director of Systems Engineering and Launch

As an end‑to‑end space transportation company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the surface of 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.

Summary

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 ground fluid systems, including 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, providing P&IDs and dimensional drawings for systems, generating drawings and work instructions, and considering 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, operation readiness reviews, and represent Firefly during external design reviews.
• Perform activation testing of 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, using the company’s nonconformance reporting system to engineer instructions, i.e. dispositions and work steps.
• Travel to test and launch sites, as required, to support company objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Strong understanding of first‑principles in fluids, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
• Direct experience with design and build of ground systems (GSE) or related fluid systems including test environments, fluid or gas conditioning/storage, manufacturing processes, and compressible gases.
• 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.
• Experience in aerospace, R&D, or oil & gas environment.
• Capable of balancing detailed design tasks with higher‑level project management tasks, including budgeting, scheduling, and communications.
• Capacity to organize, communicate, and lead in a multidisciplinary environment.
• 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.
• Willingness to travel in support of GSE build and activation 30% of the time.
• Cryogenic system design and/or operational experience.
• 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.
• 7+ 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.

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.