Mechanical Engineer II

Firefly Aerospace; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous health, dental, and vision plans

Parental leave and educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO options

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Wisconsin seeks a Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Design Engineer to lead projects for launch infrastructure. In this role, you will enhance Firefly's design capabilities and support efficient equipment development.

The ideal candidate should possess a Bachelor's Degree in a related engineering discipline, have at least 2 years of relevant experience, and be skilled in 3D CAD and structural analysis. You will enjoy a range of benefits including health plans and flexible PTO.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of hands-on experience designing mechanical or structural systems.
• Strong understanding of first-principles in mechanical and structural design.
• Demonstrated creation of successful GSE or related structural designs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead mechanical designer and project manager for projects.
• Develop 3D CAD models and perform structural analysis.
• Produce design documentation that communicates design intent.

Skills

Mechanical and structural design expertise

3D CAD experience

Structural analysis skills

Project management

Collaboration in multidisciplinary environments

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related field

Tools

Siemens NX/Teamcenter

FEA software

Job description

Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Design Engineer

Summary

As a Mechanical GSE Design Engineer, you will leverage your creative background and expertise to help develop Firefly’s next generation of launch sites, test stands, and material handling equipment, supporting Firefly’s entire fleet of launch vehicles and spacecraft. You are passionate about solving clean‑sheet mechanical design problems, bringing designs to life, and addressing challenges at both high‑level and detailed design stages.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead mechanical designer and project manager for projects including production tooling, material handling equipment, test stands, and launch infrastructure.
• Own the entire scope of each project through requirements generation, design, analysis, material/component selection, construction, testing, and activation.
• Develop 3D CAD models of components and assemblies.
• Perform structural analysis on components, weldments, and assemblies using FEA and hand calculations.
• Work with manufacturing engineers, fabricators, welders, and third‑party vendors to confirm manufacturability and execute builds.
• Host design reviews with internal customers and stakeholders to incorporate feedback.
• Perform detailed drafting of part and assembly drawings following GD&T company drafting standards.
• Support fabricators during the build phase to troubleshoot manufacturing issues.
• Develop and execute structural proof test and activation test plans to validate the as‑built design prior to customer hand‑off.
• Produce design documentation that communicates design intent, usability, operations, and maintenance of new products.
• Apply mechanical engineering principles to provide reliable and manufacturable solutions for technically challenging problems.
• Collaborate with Vehicle, Test, Manufacturing, Production, and Launch engineers to establish task scope and feasibility.
• Demonstrate a willingness to seek creative, novel, and different ways to accomplish outcomes.

Qualifications – Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of focused, hands‑on experience designing mechanical or structural systems.
• Strong understanding of first‑principles in mechanical and structural design.
• Strong 3D CAD experience, preferably in Siemens NX/Teamcenter.
• Experience performing structural analysis of parts and assemblies using FEA or hand calculations, and communicating results.
• Proficiency in design fundamentals including tolerancing and GD&T.
• Knowledge of fabrication, welding, machining, and assembly practices.
• Ability to balance detailed design tasks with higher‑level project management, budgeting, scheduling, and communications.
• Strong prioritization and execution skills in a high‑pressure, fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent collaboration skills in a multidisciplinary environment and ability to follow direction.
• Willingness to travel in support of GSE activations at multiple Firefly locations up to 25% of the time.
• Demonstrated creation of successful GSE or related structural designs, including welded structures, mechanisms, production tooling, test fixturing, or launch site infrastructure.
• Experience in fluid system design (pneumatic, hydraulics).
• Experience in developing test and operations procedures.
• Experience in oil & gas, R&D, or aerospace environments.
• Familiarity with instrumentation, data acquisition, and control methods.
• Familiarity with ASME, AWS, AISC, and AFSPCMAN standards related to structural design.

Benefits

• Generous health, dental, and vision plans with low deductibles.
• Parental leave and educational/relocation reimbursement.
• Short‑term disability and flexible PTO options.
• Other competitive benefits offered to employees.

Equal‑Opportunity Employment

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment is governed based on merit, competence, and qualifications and is not influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

Legal Notice

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.