Launch Operations Manager, VSFB

Firefly Aerospace; California; On-site; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision plans

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a technical manager to lead propulsion, fluids, electrical, and mechanical engineers at Vandenberg SLC-2. The role includes personnel leadership, operation, upgrade and maintenance of launch pad systems, and collaboration with design teams and external partners.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in fluids/pneumatic systems and 2+ years of supervisory experience, with strong engineering documentation skills and surface-level regulatory awareness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or related field.
• 5+ years hands-on experience with fluid, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical, or test systems.
• 2+ years of personnel management experience.
• Experience designing, building, troubleshooting and operating complex systems in operations or projects.
• Ability to read drawings, P&ID, schematics and test data documents.
• Strong prioritization and initiative in high-pressure environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead operation, maintenance and testing of launch pad fluids and related systems.
• Guide design reviews and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Oversee onboarding, hiring and training for the launch operations team.
• Ensure system readiness and performance for launch campaigns.
• Develop maintenance strategies to maximize availability and minimize downtime.
• Produce procedures for system operation and vehicle testing.
• Collaborate with external partners and regulatory stakeholders.

Skills

Fluids systems

Pneumatic systems

Electrical systems

Hydraulic systems

Flight hardware

Test operations

Leadership

Launch operations

Education

Bachelor's in mechanical engineering

Aerospace engineering

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

SVN

Bitbucket

Job description

Career Opportunities with Firefly Aerospace

Come be a part of the 21 st Century Space Race!

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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.