Instrumentation & Controls Manager Engineering GSE

Firefly Aerospace; Briggs (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a seasoned engineering leader to mentor up to 10 engineers in designing, implementing, and testing ground systems for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft.

You will recruit and develop talent, define milestones, and drive technical excellence while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and safety requirements. This role focuses on cross-functional collaboration and program delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Aerospace Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in integration and/or testing of process control systems, spacecraft test equipment, or launch systems.
• Minimum 2 years of direct management experience or team leadership experience.
• Strong electrical fundamentals with hands-on experience using DMMs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and small ADC/DAC circuits.
• Working knowledge of common electrical sensors (thermocouples, RTDs, strain gauges, pressure transducers, encoders, load cells etc)
• Excellent communication, planning, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability and desire to work with interdisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers designing instrumentation and control systems for ground systems of launch vehicles and spacecraft.
• Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent with passion for advancing space access.
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, align development with company targets, conduct performance reviews, and foster a healthy, challenging team culture.
• Inspire a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement by challenging hardware and software norms.
• Define and manage project definition, milestones, hand-off, and resource allocation forecasts.
• Oversee design, development, testing, and deployment of GSE control and instrumentation systems including functional test systems and data acquisition.
• Review and approve instrumentation and control drawing packages (diagrams, cable schedules, loop diagrams, wiring diagrams).
• Diagnose and resolve complex electrical problems in Integration, Test, and Launch systems.
• Support test execution/troubleshooting and validate functional testing configurations.
• Review and analyze test data to ensure the highest quality and accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with aerospace quality standards, safety requirements, and local regulations.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with interdisciplinary teams; manage capital budgets for Ground Support projects.

Skills

Team leadership

Electrical engineering

Systems integration

Troubleshooting

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

DMMs

Power supplies

LabVIEW

National Instruments

Job description

About Firefly

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.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead & mentor a team of up to 10 engineers as they design, implement, and troubleshoot modern instrumentation and control systems for the ground systems of tomorrow’s launch vehicles and spacecraft
• Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent with passion for advancing space access
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, align individual development with company targets, conduct performance reviews, and nurture a healthy and challenging team culture
• Inspire and nurture a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement by challenging hardware and software norms and developing more effective workspaces & tools
• Define and manage project definition, project milestones, hand-off, and resource allocation forecasts

Technical Leadership

• Oversee the design, development, testing, and deployment of GSE control and instrumentation systems including:
  • Functional test systems and automated test equipment (ATE)
  • Data acquisition systems and signal conditioning
  • Control panels, junction panels, and vehicle umbilical/quick disconnect systems
  • Sensor integration (thermocouples, RTDs, strain gauges, pressure transducers, etc) for development
• Review & approve instrumentation and control system drawing packages including, but not limited to:
  • Control & I/O diagrams
  • Instrument and control cable schedules
  • Instrument Loop Diagrams
  • Junction box and control panel wiring diagrams
• Diagnose and resolve complex electrical problems in Integration, Test, and Launch systems
• Support Test execution/troubleshooting and validate functional testing configurations
• Review & analyze test data to ensure the highest quality test data and accuracy
• Ensure compliance with aerospace quality standards, safety requirements, and local regulations

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate and manage relationships with interdisciplinary teams to set project requirements, coordinate on complex construction projects (new Test Stands, Launch Sites, vehicle transport systems, etc), manage scope creep, and balance technical rigor with program urgency
• Manage capital budgets for Ground Support projects

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical discipline
• Minimum 5 years of experience in integration and/or testing of process control systems, spacecraft test equipment, or launch systems.
• Minimum 2 years of direct management experience or team leadership experience
• Strong electrical fundamentals with hands-on experience using DMMs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and small ADC/DAC circuits.
• Working knowledge of common electrical sensors (thermocouples, RTDs, strain gauges, pressure transducers, encoders, load cells etc)
• Excellent communication, planning, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability and desire to work with interdisciplinary teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Spacecraft / Launch Vehicle test and validation experience
• Experience with launch site operations and GSE deployment
• Experience programming PLCs/FPGAs
• Experience programming and implementing HMIs (human machine interfaces)
• Proficiency with motion controllers, signal conditioners, or data acquisition systems (National instruments, etc.)
• Ability to write and simulate automated testing scripts in LabVIEW, Python, or similar
• Familiarity with MIL-STD specifications and aerospace quality standards (AS9100, NASA)
• A balanced sense of urgency and risk management style to handle interdisciplinary conflicts as they arise.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and external contractors

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.

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