Propulsion Engineer I (Valves)

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Sabbatical every 5 years

Medical, dental, vision, life, and/dis

Mental health services

Paid military leave

Maternity/paternity leave

Stock bonuses

401(k) matching

Home purchase bonus

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a dedicated engineer to own the cradle‑to‑grave hardware development for propulsion components, valves, regulators and actuators. You will lead cross‑functional teams to deliver high‑quality hardware on time, from conception through qualification and production handoff.

The role emphasizes analytical modeling, rapid development techniques, and collaboration across engineering, manufacturing and test disciplines to meet ambitious performance and cost goals.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (required).
• 1+ years of valve or fluid system design experience.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, structures, materials and processes.
• Experience with valve design, regulators, instrumentation and high‑pressure systems.

Responsibilities

• Formulate cradle‑to‑grave hardware roadmap.
• Design and deliver propulsion components for high‑performance systems.
• Own development lifecycle from concept to production support.

Skills

Fluid mechanics

Structural analysis

GD&T

DFM

FEA/CFD

Analytical models

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Self-motivation

Engineering fundamentals

Education

BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAD software

CFD tools

FEA software

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.

Stage two acceptance testing complete for Alpha ...

Stage two acceptance testing complete for Alpha ...

Honoring veterans means more than recognizing ...

Honoring veterans means more than recognizing ...

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Let the good times roll...to the Moon!
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Let the good times roll...to the Moon!
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Two bold Texas companies, Firefly and ...

Two bold Texas companies, Firefly and ...

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Miranda is the most powerful engine in our ...

Miranda is the most powerful engine in our ...

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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.

Passion

Fireflies believe in perseverance, responsiveness, and mentoring others with a focus on inspiring a better future.

Accountability

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.

Space for You

• 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

Space for Your Family

• 12 weeks paid maternity leave
• 4 weeks paid spouse leave
• $20k towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption
• Dog friendly workplace

Space for Your Career

• $10k/year towards trade school or college
• Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills

Space for Your Future

• Employee-ownership with stock bonuses
• 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching
• $10k bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas

Job Openings

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.

SUMMARY

Building a reliable launch vehicle requires the highest quality valves available. Firefly's components team scope, design, build, test, and qualify high-performance fluid components tailored to the specific needs of our launch vehicles, moon landers, and other spacecraft. This Responsible Engineering role has full ownership of your hardware through the entire product lifecycle; from conception through qualification and handoff to production.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Formulate the entire cradle to grave roadmap for your hardware.
• Conceptualize, design, develop and deliver propulsion components to high performance systems.
• Responsible for entire development lifecycle and production support as the technical expert.
• Own a combination of Firefly developed and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTs) valves, regulators and actuators.
• Prepare content for and lead CoDRs, MRR, PDRs, TRRs, data reviews and CDRs.
• Author and execute qualification, and acceptance test plans with hands on hardware problem solving.
• Work to standardize solutions across programs and product lines.
• Improve mission cadence by identifying and implementing cost saving and risk reduction measures.
• Lead cross-functional teams of analysts, manufacturing engineers, quality engineers, supply chain representatives, and test engineers to deliver tested hardware on time.
• Resolve non-conformances and implement design changes to improve product yield and manufacturability.
• Work with the program teams to develop hardware upgrades in alignment with ambitious performance and cost goals.
• Develop simulation-based design methods and validate using subscale and full-scale testing.
• Lead failure investigations to determine root cause and implement mitigations.
• Qualify existing and new product lines following guidance from SMC-S-016 and S-080 as applicable.
• Manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or similar.
• 1+ years of experience in a valve or fluid system design-related role.
• Exceptional comprehension of engineering fundamentals including fluid mechanics, heat transfer, structural analysis, materials, and processes.
• Strong understanding of fluid systems aspects such as fluids systems sizing, valve design and operation, instrumentation, flexible element design & integration and fluid fittings.
• Skilled in creating analytical/numerical models of engineering devices and processes.
• Ability to successfully manage complex projects.
• Works well in a collaborative, fast paced, multidisciplinary environment.
• Demonstrated interest in advancing 'newspace'.
• Self‑motivated with minimum direction required.
• Ability to creatively develop economical solutions.
• Served as a Responsible Engineer for an aerospace or oil & gas development project in a fluids related subsystem.
• 1+ years of experience in a valve or fluid system design-related role.
• Proficient with GD&T.
• Proficient with DFM.
• Proficient with FEA and/or CFD analysis.
• Knowledge of high-pressure, cryogenic, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.
• Experience with valve and regulator design.
• Experience with liquid oxygen or other cryogenic operations.
• Experience with rapid development techniques for hardware.

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