Mission Manager III / IV

Firefly Aerospace; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Pet Insurance

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Texas seeks an experienced Mission Manager to oversee payload integration, launch vehicle interfaces, and customer mission coordination for lunar and orbital spacecraft programs.

The role requires systems, integration, test, and launch experience, with strong communication skills to interface with NASA, FAA, USAF, NOAA, and commercial customers. Occasional travel and deep collaboration across disciplines are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or related field.
• Experience integrating payloads or spacecraft.
• 7-10 years’ experience in the aerospace industry.
• Ability to effectively mentor junior engineers (Level 4).
• Experience working as the primary interface with an external aerospace customer or internal product team.
• Working knowledge of aerospace qualification and acceptance testing defined by GEVS.
• Working knowledge of AFSPCMAN 91-710, MIL-STD-882, RCC-319-14 and NASA Standards 8719.13.
• Excellent communications skills (written and oral).
• Masters degree or Ph.D. preferred.
• Experience integrating payloads onto spacecraft or spacecraft to launch vehicles.
• Experience with deployment mechanisms or with robotics and actuators for spacecraft.
• Experience working with vendors.
• Experience in writing proposals and in business development.
• Experience with risk management and change control.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary engineering and programmatic interface between the Firefly engineering teams and NASA and other payload customers.
• Manage the development and coordination of the key mission performance and interface requirements.
• Build and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICD) for interfaces between the customer payload and spacecraft.
• Manage technical issues related to form, fit, and function of the payload(s), loads, dynamic environments, thermal, EMI/EMC, radiation, contamination, mass properties, mechanical interface, electrical interface, data interfaces, software APIs, and operations.
• Coordinate hardware and software related activities including fit checks, spacecraft integration, spacecraft acceptance testing, launch, and operations planning and execution for the full duration mission.
• Lead technical interchange meetings and design reviews with NASA and other customers. Some travel (<10%) may be required.
• Work closely with each engineering discipline within Firefly to help generate and evaluate acceptable analysis factors of safety and test plans that meet both Range requirements and Mission Assurance requirements.

Skills

Excellent communications skills

Mentor junior engineers

External interfaces

Payload integration

NASA standards knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or related field

Masters or Ph.D. preferred

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

Firefly is seeking an experienced Mission Manager to manage programs (i.e. payload integration, launch vehicle integration, customer mission integration, or other mission management activities for our spacecraft (lunar lander and/or orbital vehicle) program. This person ideally has systems, integration, test, and launch experience, specific to aerospace hardware. The successful candidate will leverage their advanced communication and relationship skills to interface with all engineering disciplines at Firefly involved in the development of spacecraft as well as with outside organizations like the FAA, USAF, NASA, NOAA, and a variety of commercial customers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as the primary engineering and programmatic interface between the Firefly engineering teams and NASA and other payload customers.
• Manage the development and coordination of the key mission performance and interface requirements.
• Build and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICD) for interfaces between the customer payload and spacecraft.
• Manage technical issues related to form, fit, and function of the payload(s), loads, dynamic environments, thermal, EMI/EMC, radiation, contamination, mass properties, mechanical interface, electrical interface, data interfaces, software APIs, and operations.
• Coordinate hardware and software related activities including fit checks, spacecraft integration, spacecraft acceptance testing, launch, and operations planning and execution for the full duration mission.
• Lead technical interchange meetings and design reviews with NASA and other customers. Some travel (<10%) may be required.
• Work closely with each engineering discipline within Firefly to help generate and evaluate acceptable analysis factors of safety and test plans that meet both Range requirements and Mission Assurance requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or related field
• Experience integrating payloads or spacecraft
• 7-10 years’ experience in the aerospace industry
• Ability to effectively mentor junior engineers (Level 4)
• Experience working as the primary interface with an external aerospace customer or internal product team
• Working knowledge of aerospace qualification and acceptance testing defined by GEVS.
• Working knowledge of AFSPCMAN 91-710, MIL-STD-882, RCC-319-14 and NASA Standards 8719.13.
• Excellent communications skills (written and oral). Able to communicate effectively and clearly present technical approaches and findings to peers, management, and external customers.
• Masters degree or Ph.D. preferred
• Experience integrating payloads onto spacecraft or spacecraft to launch vehicles
• Experience with deployment mechanisms or with robotics and actuators for spacecraft
• Experience working with vendors
• Experience in writing proposals and in business development
• Experience with risk management and change control

• 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, pet Insurance, 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.