Launch Operations Manager, VSFB

Firefly Aerospace; California; On-site; 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 seeks a technical manager to lead propulsion, fluids, electrical, and mechanical engineers at Vandenberg SLC-2. You will oversee operation, maintenance, and testing of launch pad systems, guide design reviews, and coordinate with external partners to ensure readiness for launch campaigns.

You will also hire, train, and mentor the launch ops team, develop maintenance strategies, and draft procedures for system operation and vehicle testing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with fluids, pneumatic, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical systems, tooling or test operations.
• 2+ years of managing personnel.
• Ability to create and interpret engineering docs (drawings, P&ID, test data).
• Ability to prioritize tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Strong communication for technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead operation, maintenance and testing of 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 to drive system upgrades and validate readiness for launch campaigns.
• Support launch pad and flight vehicle system integrity testing to validate health and readiness for launches.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts and investigate non-conformances during operations and testing.
• Perform launch console operations or launch day close-out activities.
• Write procedures for system operation, maintenance, and vehicle testing.
• Develop maintenance strategies to maximize system availability and minimize downtime between missions.
• Collaborate with customers and regulatory teams to ensure interoperability and range safety compliance.

Skills

Fluid systems

Pneumatic systems

Mechanical design

Electrical systems

Test operations

Leadership

Documentation (P&ID)

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering

Tools

SVN

Bitbucket

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Job description

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

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.

Desired

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.