Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

generous health

dental and vision plans with low plan

parental leave

educational reimbursement

short term disability

flexible PTO options

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Texas seeks a Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer II to design, analyze, develop, and qualify critical moving mechanical assemblies for launch vehicle programs.

This role involves defining motion of hardware, performing detailed analyses, and documenting to drive products from concept to flight-ready systems. You will lead technical work, manage CAD definitions, and collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and operations to ensure producibility and reliability across

Qualifications

• The BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field is required.
• 3+ years designing, analyzing, and qualifying mechanical mechanisms for aerospace or high-reliability systems.
• Experience with flight-critical mechanisms such as separation systems, deployment mechanisms, actuators, latches, hinges, springs, and release devices.
• Strong understanding of kinematics, tribology, tolerance analysis, lubrication, and wear in aerospace environments.
• Experience designing and testing for extreme environments including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, vacuum, and cryogenic conditions.
• Proficiency with FEA and classical hand calculations to evaluate strength, stiffness, and fatigue (Ansys, Femap, etc.).
• Experience supporting production builds, resolving nonconformances, and improving producibility.
• Experience defining qualification and acceptance test programs and interpreting test data.
• Proven ability to make sound engineering decisions under schedule constraints.
• MS or PhD in Mechanical/Aerospace or 5+ years experience in aerospace mechanisms.
• Experience with launch vehicle or spacecraft programs from development through qualified flight.
• Experience driving hardware from a test through a successful product.
• Experience with design and qualification of separation systems.
• Experience with shock mitigation strategies.
• Proven history of mechanisms with high lifecycle counts and minimal refurbishment.
• Familiarity with scripting or programming for analysis, automation, or data reduction.
• Working knowledge of AIAA S-114, NASA 5017b, SMS-S016, NASA 5020, GEVS

Responsibilities

• Individual contribution and teamwork as the technical owner to develop and produce moving mechanical assemblies that meet requirements for launch vehicle missions.
• Create and manage hardware definitions through CAD and drawings.
• Perform and guide detailed analyses including margins, fatigue, wear, and dynamics of moving systems.
• Document to build confidence and reliability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure mechanisms integrate with structures, avionics, propulsion, and operations.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure mechanisms are producible and flight-ready.
• Support build, integration, and acceptance activities, resolving fit, function, and performance issues.
• Lead development, qualification, and acceptance testing to standards such as SMC-S016, AIAA S-114, GEVS.
• Provide mentorship to junior engineers and elevate design quality.
• Act as SME for mechanisms across programs.

Skills

Mechanical design

Aerospace mechanisms

FEM/FEA

Flight-critical systems

Separation systems

Tolerance analysis

Kinematics

CAD

ANSYS

System integration

Test planning

Documentation

Producibility

Scripting/automation

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

MS/PhD or 5+ years experience

Tools

Femap

ANSYS

CAD tools

Job description

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 Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer II is responsible for the design, analysis, development, and qualification of critical moving mechanical assemblies for launch vehicle programs. This role provides technical leadership across the full lifecycle of mechanisms such as stage separation systems, deployment mechanisms, hold-down and release systems, and other flight-critical moving assemblies. This requires both the technical and artistic aspects of thought to be able to define the motion of a piece of hardware and then push theory into a functional product through detailed analysis and documentation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Individual contribution and teamwork as the technical owner to develop and produce moving mechanical assemblies that meet the requirements to accomplish the goal of supporting launch vehicle missions.
• Create and manage hardware definition though CAD and drawings.
• Perform and/or guide detailed analysis including structural margins, fatigue, contact, wear, thermal effects, tolerance stack-ups, and dynamics of moving systems.
• Build confidence and reliability through rigorous documentation.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure mechanisms integrate seamlessly with structures, avionics, propulsion, and operations.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure mechanisms are producible, inspectable, and flight-ready.
• Support build, integration, and acceptance activities, resolving fit, function, and performance issues to ensure a successful product.
• Lead development, qualification, and acceptance testing of mechanisms, including component-, subassembly-, and system-level tests to SMC-S016, AIAA S-114, GEVS and other industry standards.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers, elevating mechanism design quality.
• Act as a subject-matter expert for mechanisms across programs and projects.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field.
• 3+ years of experience designing, analyzing, and qualifying mechanical mechanisms for aerospace or high-reliability systems.
• Demonstrated experience with flight-critical mechanisms such as separation systems, deployment mechanisms, actuators, latches, hinges, springs, and release devices.
• Strong understanding of kinematics, tribology, tolerance analysis, lubrication, and wear in aerospace environments.
• Experience designing and testing for extreme environments including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, vacuum, and cryogenic conditions.
• Proficiency with FEA and classical hand calculations methods to evaluate strength, stiffness, and fatigue. (Ansys, Femap, etc.)
• Experience supporting production builds, resolving nonconformances, and improving producibility.
• Experience defining qualification and acceptance test programs and interpreting test data.
• Proven ability to make sound, defensible engineering decisions under schedule and program constraints.
• M.S. or PhD in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related discipline or 5+ years of experience designing, analyzing, and qualifying mechanical mechanisms for aerospace or high-reliability systems.
• Experience with launch vehicle or spacecraft programs from development through qualified flight.
• Experience driving hardware from a test though successful product.
• Experience with design and qualification of separation systems.
• Experience with shock mitigation strategies.
• Proven history of successful mechanisms with high lifecycle counts and minimal refurbishment.
• Familiarity with scripting or programming for analysis, automation, or data reduction.
• Working knowledge of AIAA S-114, NASA 5017b, SMS-S016, NASA 5020, GEVS

Benefits

• generous health
• dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles
• parental leave
• educational reimbursement
• short term disability
• 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.