IT Network Operations Manager

Cedarparktexasedc; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Cedar Park, TX is hiring an IT Network Operations Manager to shape and execute a long-term network strategy aligned with mission operations.

You will lead reliability-focused network design across office and launch-site environments, manage projects end-to-end, mentor staff, and ensure uptime for rocket programs.

The role requires 6+ years in network engineering with leadership experience and a strong track record in enterprise networking, security, and observability.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in network engineering or operations.
• 2+ years in technical leadership or engineering management.
• Experience leading network/NetOps teams in mission-critical environments.
• Strong project management and communication skills.
• Expert knowledge of enterprise networking, routing, switching, and design.
• Experience with network security practices and tools.
• Familiarity with observability platforms and alerting strategies.
• Knowledge of cloud networking and hybrid on-prem/cloud architectures.
• Experience in aerospace or highly regulated environments (preferred).
• Certifications in CCNP/CCIE etc (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Set technical priorities and reliability targets for mission-critical data flows.
• Direct design, implementation, and maintenance of network infrastructure from office to launch site.
• Implement proactive monitoring and alerting to resolve issues quickly.
• Oversee capacity planning to sustain continuous operations.
• Develop standards for configuration management, security, and change control.
• Define procedures for IT support during test campaigns and launches.
• Manage projects end-to-end and communicate status to leadership.
• Mentor staff and grow careers in network operations.
• Lead incident response and root-cause analysis.

Skills

Network engineering

Technical leadership

Project management

Enterprise networking

Network security

Observability platforms

Wireless networks

Performance optimization

Cloud networking

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science or related field

Certifications: CCNP/CCIE/JNCIP/JNCIE/PCNSE/AWS Advanced Networking

Tools

SolarWinds

PRTG

Prometheus

Grafana

Job description

IT Network Operations Manager

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

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

The IT Network Operations Manager partners with IT leadership to shape and execute a long-term network strategy aligned to Firefly's business and mission operations.

They are responsible for delivering scalable, resilient architecture engineered for the highest possible uptime—rockets and spacecraft don't get a free second attempt.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, customer-focused, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

This position will be based 100% out of our corporate office in Cedar Park, TX.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Set technical priorities and own reliability/performance targets that keep Launch, Spacecraft, and mission-critical data flowing.
• Direct the design, implementation, and maintenance of network infrastructure across corporate and mission-critical environments—from the office to the launch site.
• Implement proactive monitoring and alerting so issues are resolved before they touch a countdown or satellite pass.
• Oversee capacity planning and growth to sustain continuous operations at peak reliability.
• Develop and enforce standards and best practices for configuration management, security, and change control.
• Define procedures, tools, and responsibilities for IT support during test campaigns, launches, and space missions.
• Manage technical projects end-to-end and communicate designs and status to engineering leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Mentor network engineering and operations staff, closing skill gaps and growing careers.
• Lead incident response, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive action.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 6+ years in network engineering or operations, with 2+ years in technical leadership or engineering management, including mentoring technical staff.
• Track record leading network and NetOps teams in fast-paced, mission-critical environments.
• Strong project management across competing priorities, with a "make it happen" attitude and excellent communication skills.
• Expert knowledge of enterprise networking—routing protocols, switching, and network design.
• Experience with network security: next-gen firewalls, VPNs, segmentation, and access control.
• Proficiency with observability platforms (SolarWinds, PRTG, Prometheus, Grafana) and alerting/response strategies.
• Solid grasp of enterprise wireless (Wi‑Fi, controllers, mesh networks).
• Skilled in performance optimization, troubleshooting, and capacity planning.
• Knowledge of cloud networking (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and hybrid on-prem/cloud architectures.

Desired

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, or related field (or equivalent experience)?
• Certifications: CCNP, CCIE, Juniper JNCIP/JNCIE, Palo Alto PCNSE, AWS Advanced Networking, or equivalent.
• Experience in aerospace or other highly regulated, mission-critical environments.
• Network automation / network-as-code (Ansible, Python, Terraform, APIs).
• History of leading network transformation or modernization initiatives, plus strong telecom/network vendor management.

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.