Propulsion Engineer I (Spacecraft Fluids)
Firefly Aerospace, Inc.
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Job summary
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. seeks a Propulsion Fluid Systems Engineer to own the design, analysis, and lifecycle of fluid subsystems for Blue Ghost and Elytra spacecraft.
You will lead CAD/analysis, collaborate with fabrication teams, and support testing and launch operations in a fast-paced environment. The role requires a strong foundation in mechanical/aerospace engineering, 1+ year experience in fluid systems, and hands-on hardware experience with the ability to communicate technical concepts
Qualifications
- B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
- Advanced degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering is a plus.
- 1+ years in fluid systems engineering and/or propulsion.
- Strong understanding of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.
- Hands-on hardware design, fabrication, and testing experience.
- Experience with tubing design and layout.
- Experience with data acquisition and test instrumentation.
- Ability to work across cross-functional teams and communicate clearly.
Responsibilities
- Own spacecraft fluid system requirements, design, and analysis from concept through flight.
- Lead development of propulsion integration concepts to improve reliability.
- Serve as primary technical contact for spacecraft fluid systems.
- Prepare design reviews and present to internal/ external stakeholders.
- Plan and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing of flight hardware.
- Drive manufacturability improvements to reduce part count and lead time.
- Identify risks, perform trade studies, and drive design decisions.
- Develop automation tools and enhance test data analysis capabilities.
- Support vehicle test and flight campaigns with operations support.
- Collaborate with manufacturing for processes, work instructions, and test procedures.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
At Firefly, we’re focused on making space attainable for everyone – including you! Each team member’s passion, dedication, and innovative ideas have a direct impact on fueling our successful trajectory into space. And there’s no shortage of meaningful projects to work on at Firefly. With launch, lunar, and orbital vehicles, Firefly has a diverse line of business with opportunities to get hands‑on experience launching rockets, operating in space, and landing on the Moon.
What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family?
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What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family?
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Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ...
Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ...
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Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ...
Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ...
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This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...
This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...
The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly ...
The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly ...
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More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...
More cleanroom space. More spacecraft in ...
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Headquartered in the Lone Star State, Firefly’s hardworking team reflects Texas’ GO BIG culture in everything we do. We build big, achieve big, and dream big. We’re building launch vehicles and spacecraft to provide rapid, reliable space access. We’ve achieved some incredible wins, including the first successful commercial Moon landing. And we’re dreaming bigger than this planet with ambitions to Mars, Venus, and beyond. Our core values are what drive us along the way.
Fireflies believe in perseverance, responsiveness, and mentoring others with a focus on inspiring a better future.
Fireflies act with integrity and take ownership of our actions, commitments, decisions, and outcomes.
Fireflies work in alignment across teams and communicate clearly with mutual respect for one another.
Fireflies deliver high-quality work through technical rigor and timely disciplined execution for our customers.
We take care of our Fireflies with some of the best benefits in the industry. Our mission to make space for everyone starts with our employees and allowing them to make space for their family, their career, and their future.
- Unlimited PTO for exempt employees
- 3-month sabbatical for every 5 years of service
- Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
- Mental health services
- Paid military leave
- 12 weeks paid maternity leave
- 4 weeks paid spouse leave
- $20k towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption
- Dog friendly workplace
- $10k/year towards trade school or college
- Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills
- Employee-ownership with stock bonuses
- 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching
- $10k bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas
From launch technicians to propulsion engineers, Firefly has open roles across the company. We’re looking for passionate, bright innovators to join our team and help make space an achievable dream for everyone.
Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.
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.
The Propulsion Fluid Systems team is responsible for the design, integration, and operation of all fluid subsystems across Firefly’s spacecraft. As a Responsible Engineer, you will work across the full lifecycle of hardware, including requirements definition, design, analysis, development, test, and qualification of the Blue Ghost and Elytra spacecraft fluid systems.
You will lead CAD design and analysis efforts, collaborate with fabrication and integration teams to build and assemble the system, and support vehicle testing and launch operations.
Fluid Systems Engineers have deep technical knowledge, ownership of hardware from concept to flight, and clear communication with cross-functional partners including structures, propulsion, avionics, and vehicle systems. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who enjoys challenging assumptions, thrives in a fast-paced development environment, and seeks to make impactful contributions to Firefly’s mission.
- Demonstrate full ownership of spacecraft fluid system requirements, design, and analysis from concept through flight.
- Lead development of innovative design concepts for propulsion integration and operations that reduce complexity and maximize reliability within program constraints.
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact for all spacecraft fluid systems.
- Author and present detailed design review presentations to internal and external stakeholders
- Plan, coordinate, and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing of flight hardware, including data analysis and reviews.
- Implement design-for-manufacturability improvements to increase production efficiency and vehicle reliability.
- Identify system-level risks, perform trade studies, and drive decisions to ensure successful vehicle operation.
- Develop and maintain automation tools and test data analysis capabilities.
- Support vehicle test and flight campaigns by providing console operations support.
- Collaborate with manufacturing and integration teams to develop processes, work instructions, and test procedures, and provide direct build support
- Drive development of efficient test and flight operations for fluid systems and assist with troubleshooting during vehicle operations
- B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in fluid systems engineering and/or propulsion
- Thorough understanding of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics
- Experience with tube or pipe design and layout
- Proficiency in modeling and analysis tools (e.g., CAD, FEA, CFD, MATLAB, Python)
- Deep knowledge of engineering fundamentals and a demonstrated history of applying first principles to arrive at simple, robust solutions
- Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills.
- Hands‑on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing
- Working knowledge of manufacturing, fabrication, integration, and quality control relevant to fluid components (such as machining, inspection, assembly, testing, etc.)
- Knowledge of fluid components such as valves, regulators, pressure transducers, tubing, pressurized hardware, seals, and instrumentation and experience performing fluid systems sizing analysis with such components
- Ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirements
- Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent field
- 2+ years of experience developing launch vehicle or spacecraft propulsion systems
- Knowledge of material selection and best practices for hypergolic systems
- Experience with fluid system subcomponent or pressurized component development, design, or testing (such as valves, regulators, piping systems, pumps, etc.)
- Experience in working with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), flow meters, load cells, and accelerometers
- Experience conducting tubing/piping flexibility analysis using software packages such as Ansys, Caesar II, Bentley Autopipe, etc.
- Experience reducing the complexity of large integrated assemblies to reduce part count, cost, and lead time
- Demonstrated experience with full hardware lifecycle ownership, from blank-sheet design through full operation
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 sta
tus.
Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deducgi bout etc.
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.
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.
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