Senior Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer — Flexible PTO

Cedarparktexasedc; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace in Texas is seeking a Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer II to lead the design, analysis, development, and qualification of critical moving assemblies for launch programs.

The role requires hands-on CAD work, rigorous analysis, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to deliver flight-ready mechanisms that meet schedule and reliability goals in demanding aerospace environments.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field.
• 3+ years designing, analyzing, and qualifying mechanical mechanisms for aerospace or high-reliability systems.
• Experience with flight-critical mechanisms such as separation, deployment, actuators, latches, hinges, springs, and release devices.
• Strong understanding of kinematics, tribology, tolerance analysis, lubrication, and wear in aerospace environments.
• Experience designing and testing for extreme environments including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, vacuum, and cryogenic conditions.
• Proficiency with FEA and classical hand calculations methods to evaluate strength, stiffness, and fatigue (Ansys, Femap).
• Experience supporting production builds, resolving nonconformances, and improving producibility.
• Experience defining qualification and acceptance test programs and interpreting test data.
• Proven ability to make sound engineering decisions under schedule and program constraints.

Responsibilities

• Individual contribution and teamwork as the technical owner to develop and produce moving mechanical assemblies that meet the requirements to accomplish the goal of supporting launch vehicle missions.
• Create and manage hardware definition though CAD and drawings.
• Perform and/or guide detailed analysis including structural margins, fatigue, contact, wear, thermal effects, tolerance stack-ups, and dynamics of moving systems.
• Build confidence and reliability through rigorous documentation.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure mechanisms integrate seamlessly with structures, avionics, propulsion, and operations.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure mechanisms are producible, inspectable, and flight-ready.
• Support build, integration, and acceptance activities, resolving fit, function, and performance issues to ensure a successful product.
• Lead development, qualification, and acceptance testing of mechanisms, including component-, subassembly-, and system-level tests to SMC-S016, AIAA S-114, GEVS and other industry standards.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers, elevating mechanism design quality.
• Act as a subject-matter expert for mechanisms across programs and projects.

Skills

Mechanical design

Aerospace experience

FEA

CAD drafting

Vibration analysis

Thermal analysis

Tolerance analysis

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace

Tools

ANSYS

Femap

CAD tools

Job description

Firefly Aerospace in Texas is seeking a Launch Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer II to lead the design, analysis, development, and qualification of critical moving assemblies for launch programs.

The role requires hands-on CAD work, rigorous analysis, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to deliver flight-ready mechanisms that meet schedule and reliability goals in demanding aerospace environments.