Senior Launch Operations Engineer - Test & Launch

Firefly Aerospace; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a senior engineer to lead development, execution, and continuous improvement of vehicle testing and launch operations across a growing portfolio of launch sites. You will drive integrated operations, collaborate with engineering teams, and enable seamless testing through launch.

The role requires 7+ years in test/launch operations, automation experience, and the ability to work in high-pressure environments with travel to sites in TX, CA, VA and internationally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical, or related engineering
• 7+ years in test or launch operations or similar high-consequence environments
• Experience developing systems engineering artifacts (requirements, test verification evidence, FMECAs)
• Experience developing automation sequences for hazardous, time-critical, or mission-critical systems
• Able to operate in launch sites with field testing, heavy equipment, and hazardous materials
• Ability to prioritize tasks in a high-pressure environment
• Willingness to support off-hour shifts during launches
• Familiarity with launch vehicle and ground subsystems concepts and standards

Responsibilities

• Lead development of company processes, guidelines, and training in test and launch operations
• Develop and execute integrated test and launch operations at multiple sites (TX, CA, VA, international)
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to drive upgrades and standardized processes across launch sites
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations of anomalies in operations and testing
• Develop automation and operational software tools to support test and launch execution
• Author procedures for launch pad configuration, vehicle operations, and propellant handling during countdowns
• Develop and author operational requirements and provide program execution planning
• Support proposals and trade studies
• Travel up to 25% to test and launch sites as needed

Skills

Systems engineering

Project management

Automation sequences

High-pressure environment

Budgets & schedules

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical or related engineering

Tools

Confluence

Jira

SVN

Bitbucket

Git

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a senior engineer to lead development, execution, and continuous improvement of vehicle testing and launch operations across a growing portfolio of launch sites. You will drive integrated operations, collaborate with engineering teams, and enable seamless testing through launch.

The role requires 7+ years in test/launch operations, automation experience, and the ability to work in high-pressure environments with travel to sites in TX, CA, VA and internationally.