GSE Technician II

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Sabbatical benefit

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

Parental leave

Education reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Briggs, TX is seeking a GSE Technician to join the Test Operations Team. You will build, maintain, and troubleshoot test stands and associated systems used to prepare rocket hardware for flight.

The role requires hands-on experience with mechanical systems, high-pressure and hydraulic systems, and calibration tools, plus teamwork and safety awareness in a high-paced aerospace environment. Firefly offers strong benefits and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalency required.
• 3+ years of experience with mechanical systems or heavy equipment.
• 3+ years of experience with power tools and calibrated tooling.
• Ability to lift 30 pounds and stand for extended periods.
• Candidate should be able to work in a team and adapt quickly.

Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade test stand equipment and instrumentation.
• Collaborate with test engineers to develop procedures and document activities.
• Support test site upgrades and commissioning of test articles.
• Ensure clean, organized test locations and readiness for flight hardware.
• Operate high pressure, cryogenic, and hydraulic systems and related components.

Skills

Teamwork

Adaptability

Communication

Attention to safety

Physical stamina

Troubleshooting

Education

High school diploma or equivalency certificate

Associate degree in engineering/technical/mechanical field

A&P license

Tools

Power tools

Calibrated tooling

Crane and lift operations

Microsoft Office

JIRA

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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In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

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As we head into the holiday weekend, we’re proud ...

As we head into the holiday weekend, we’re proud ...

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

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

What’s hotter than a Texas summer? Our Miranda ...

What’s hotter than a Texas summer? Our Miranda ...

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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 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

GSE Technicians will work with the Test Operations Team to perform all actions required to build and maintain test stands, rocket launch sites, and fluid system upgrades.

Responsibilities include new test stand build, and test site upgrades, stand verification and commissioning, test article install, troubleshooting, verification and testing activities associated with all components of the rocket. These tests can vary from valves to engines to entire rocket stages. This role is located at our rocket production facility in Briggs, TX, north of Cedar Park.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build, maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade test stand equipment and instrumentation as required.
• Participate in builds of new site/test stands or implementation of new systems or capabilities on current stands.
• Provide operability & constructability feedback to GSE engineers during project design phase.
• Collaborate with test engineers to develop test procedures and document stand activity.
• Build, develop and maintain appropriate tools, storage, and hardware to support test and test activities.
• Maintain clean and orderly locations on the test stand to deliver ready-for-flight hardware.
• Partner with engineering teams to streamline, optimize and improve testing process.
• Assume test stand operating tasks in parallel and with guidance from test engineering team.
• Operate and maintain hardware, high pressure systems, cryogenic systems, hydraulic systems, pumps, and other ancillary equipment including pneumatic components.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• 3+ years of experience working with and troubleshooting mechanical systems, high pressure fluid/pneumatic systems, or heavy equipment.
• 3+ years of experience using power tools, hand tools, and calibrated tooling.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while working in a high-paced, challenging work environment.
• Ability to lift 30 pounds.
• Ability to stand for extended period of times and work in a test stand environment.
• Associate degree in an engineering, technical, or mechanical field A&P license.
• Experience in airframe structural repair.
• Experience in aviation electronics and avionics.
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) certification or training.
• Experience with testing process and optimization of test processes.
• Experience with hydraulic plumbing repair/fabrication.
• Experience in ground support equipment in aerospace industry.
• Experience in the space exploration industry, aviation, military, or other high-reliability operating environment.
• Basic computer skills, including experience using Microsoft Office, JIRA, and photo generation/compilation.
• Experience with crane and lift operations.
• Knowledge of different fittings such as NPT, MS, and A/N and Swagelok.
• Ability to read and understand operating system schematics and drawings.
• Communication skills for relaying data (verbally and in-writing).

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.