Mechanical GSE Engineer I

Firefly Aerospace; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & dental benefits

Vision benefits

Parental leave

Relocation reimbursement

Short-term disability

PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Mechanical GSE Design Engineer to help develop launch-site tooling, test stands, and material handling equipment for our fleet of vehicles. The role combines design, analysis, and collaboration with manufacturing to bring hardware from concept to production.

You will own projects from requirements through activation, create 3D CAD models, perform FEA, and develop build drawings while working with cross-disciplinary teams and traveling up to 25% to Firefly locations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 0–2 years of hands-on mechanical/structural design experience.
• Solid understanding of statics, mechanics, and materials.

Responsibilities

• Design and own material handling equipment, tooling, fixtures, test stands, and launch infrastructure.
• Lead cradle-to-grave design processes including requirements, design, analysis, procurement, fabrication, testing, and activation.
• Create 3D CAD models and perform structural analysis (FEA) on components and assemblies.

Skills

CAD

FEA

Structural design

Project coordination

Travel up to 25%

Welding/ fabrication

GD&T

ASME standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Career Opportunities with Firefly Aerospace

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

Careers At Firefly Aerospace

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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

As a Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Design Engineer, you will have the opportunity to 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. Your primary job is designing – but the responsibilities flow into areas of project management, manufacturing, and test. A great Mechanical GSE Design Engineer 1) loves to solve clean sheet mechanical & structural design problems using first principles of engineering 2) loves the challenge of bringing hardware to life and 3) thrives when there is a balance of collaboration and independent work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the responsible engineer and primary designer for material handling equipment - including vehicle production tooling, transportation fixtures, lift fixtures , test stands, and launch infrastructure.
• Own the projects from cradle to grave - through requirements generation, design, structural analysis, material/component selection, procurement, fabrication, testing and activation.
• Develop 3D CAD models of bespoke components and assemblies.
• Perform structural analysis on components, weldments, & assemblies using FEA & hand calculations.
• Draft built-to-print drawings of parts, weldments, and assemblies using GD&T and company drawing standards.
• Host design reviews for internal customers & stakeholders to receive and incorporate feedback into designs.
• Work with manufacturing engineers, fabricators, welders, and 3rd party vendors to coordinate, execute, and troubleshoot builds.
• Develop & execute structural proof test plans & activation test plans to validate the as-built design prior to customer hand off.
• Produce design documentation to communicate design intent, usability, operations, and maintenance of new products to internal customers.
• Use mechanical engineering principles and fundamentals to provide reliable and manufacturable solutions for technically challenging problems.
• Collaborate with Vehicle, Test, Manufacturing, Production, and Launch engineers & technicians to establish individual task scope and feasibility.
• Demonstrate a willingness to seek creative, novel, and different ways to accomplish outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline
• 0-2 years of focused, hands-on experience designing mechanical or structural systems.
• Possesses strong understanding of and predilection for statics, solid mechanics, and materials.
• Proficiency using CAD, preferably in Siemens NX.
• Experience performing structural analysis of parts, weldments, and assemblies - utilizing FEA and hand calculations, as well as communicating the results of the analysis.
• Comprehension of mechanical design fundamentals including tolerancing, ASME Standards, ASTM, and GD&T.
• Knowledge of general fabrication, welding, machining and assembly practices.
• Capable of balancing detailed design tasks with higher level project management type tasks, including budgeting, scheduling, and communications.
• Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure fast-paced environment
• Works well in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment and able 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 Ground Support Equipment (GSE) or related structural designs, including welded structures, mechanisms, production & manufacturing tooling, test fixtures, or launch site infrastructure.
• Experience with professional or hobby grade building and tinkering (welding, wood working, engine repair, etc).
• Comfortable using light tools & machinery (battery & air powered tools, forklifts)
• Experience with rigging and performing lift operations.
• Experience in an oil & gas, startup, or NewSpace environment
• Familiarity with ASME, AWS, AISC, AFSPCMAN, and NASA standards related to GSE & structural design

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational/relocation 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.