Launch Operations Manager, VSFB

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a technical manager to lead propulsion, fluids, electrical, and mechanical engineering teams at Vandenberg SLC-2, guiding system upgrades and ensuring readiness for launch campaigns.

You will oversee operations, maintenance, and testing of launch pad systems, while shaping maintenance strategies and collaborating with customers and partners to meet regulatory and safety requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or related field.
• 5+ years hands-on experience with fluids, pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical systems or test operations.
• 2+ years managing personnel and leading teams.
• Experience with launch vehicle operations and console readiness.
• Ability to read engineering docs and interpret drawings/test data.
• Experience with regulatory standards and proposal support.
• Familiarity with Python, LabView or Matlab for data viewing.

Responsibilities

• Lead operation, maintenance and testing of launch pad fluids and related systems.
• Guide design reviews and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams for upgrades.
• Support system integrity testing and readiness for launch campaigns.
• Mentor and onboard the launch operations engineering team.
• Develop procedures and maintenance strategies to maximize availability.

Skills

Fluids systems

Pneumatic systems

Hydraulic systems

Electrical systems

Flight hardware / test operations

Leadership / personnel management

Launch vehicle operations

Console operations

Regulatory knowledge (AFSPCMAN 91-710,

USG / Commercial proposals

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

LabView

Matlab

Python

SVN / Bitbucket

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.

This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...

This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...

The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly ...

The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly ...

825 4

More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...

More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...

Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives ...

Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives ...

355 1

In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

In this Manufacturing Minute, our Tooling ...

319 9

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

Firefly' Launch team is hiring for high-impact, dynamic engineering position for those who thrive on solving real problems in diverse environments. We are looking for a technical manager to lead the propulsion, fluids, electrical, and mechanical engineers at Vandenberg SLC-2. In addition to personnel and technical leadership, this role will contribute to the operation, upgrade and maintenance of all launch pad systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead operation, maintenance and testing of the launch pad fluids, pneumatic mechanical, and electrical systems.
• Facilitate hiring, training, and onboarding activities for the launch operations engineering team
• Guide design reviews and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including design engineers, technicians, external partners, and site personnel to drive system upgrades, streamline operations, and validate system readiness and performance for launch campaigns.
• Support launch pad system and flight vehicle system integrity testing to validate system health, performance and readiness for launch campaigns.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts, resolve any issues and non-conformances that arise during operations/testing, and support anomaly investigations
• Perform launch console operations or launch day close out team activities
• Write procedures for system operation, maintenance, and vehicle testing operations.
• Develop and execute maintenance strategies that maximize system availability and minimize downtime between missions.
• Collaborate with customers, external stakeholders, and design teams to ensure interoperability and compliance with regulatory and range safety requirements.
• Provide technical write-ups for systems upgrade proposals or tailoring of regulations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with fluids systems, pneumatic systems, mechanisms, hydraulic systems, electrical systems, tooling, flight hardware or test operations
• 2+ years of managing personnel
• Experience designing, building, troubleshooting and/or operating complex fluid or pneumatic systems in an operational or project environment.
• Ability to create and interpret engineering documentation including drawings, P&ID schematics and test data.
• 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
• Lead by example and work ethic
• Ability to convey complex technical information clearly and concisely to technical and non-technical audiences
• Comfortable working in launch site environments with field testing, lifting equipment, and hazardous materials.
• 5+ yrs running console operations for integrated vehicle and pad operations
• Familiarity with version control systems like SVN, Bitbucket, etc
• Prior launch vehicle operations at test or launch facilities
• Working knowledge of data viewing tools in Python, LabView, Matlab, etc
• Experience in development and/or operations of launch vehicles
• USG and Commercial launch proposal support
• Familiarity with AFSPCMAN 91-710, RCC 319/324

Salary Range: $145,000 - $175,000

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.