Senior Program Manager, Alpha

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Texas; On-site; USD 130,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Texas is seeking an Alpha Program Manager to lead complex launch-vehicle programs from design through launch, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery for government and commercial customers.

You will coordinate with Systems Engineers, manage schedules and budgets, track deliverables, and drive risk mitigation while shaping the product roadmap and change control. The role requires a strong PM background, ability to obtain US security clearance, and a passion for rapid,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, management or related field.
• CAD experience and familiarity with business intelligence tools and APIs.
• 5+ years of project management experience with strong communication and prioritization skills.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams in complex technical environments.
• Ability to obtain US Government security clearance.
• Experience with creating, maintaining, and managing detailed execution schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead program to on-time and on-budget deliveries.
• Maintain schedules, risk registries, procurement plans, subcontract management, personnel plans, and budgets.
• Primary reporting point for Senior Leadership Team and customers.
• Track internal and external deliverables and prepare progress reviews.
• Co-chair with Systems Engineers to ensure launch systems meet requirements and milestones within budget.
• Identify and mitigate risks with the Program Team to keep the program on track.
• Guide the product roadmap and participate in change control.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, management or related work experience

Tools

CAD

Business intelligence tools

APIs

Automated reporting

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.

Our missions are powered by our incredible team …

What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family? …

Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the …

Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! …

This World Space Week, remember to look up and …

The engine powering Alpha`s first stage is truly …

Our Values

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
• • 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

As an Alpha Program Manager, you will lead program execution for highly complex launch vehicle missions, from product design through launch execution. You are accountable for delivering responsive launch services to government and commercial customers, on time and under budget. You are accountable for delivering financial results for Firefly. You will be leading Alpha launch programs for National Security Space, responsive launch, dedicated commercial launches, and international launches from Sweden to start. The ideal candidate is someone who loves leading high stakes and rapid pace programs, delivering critical launch services.

What You'll Do

• Responsible and accountable for leading program to on‑time and on‑budget deliveries
• Maintain schedules, risk registries, procurement plans, subcontract management plans, internal personnel plans, and budgets (manpower, direct costs, subcontracts, travel, etc.)
• Primary reporting point for the Senior Leadership Teamand customers
• Track all internal and external deliverables,prepare and present formal and informal design and progress reviews
• Co‑chair You will work closely with Systems Engineers and Responsible Engineering Authorities to ensure that our launch systems meet all requirements and achieve all milestones, while staying within strict budgetary constraints
• Work with the Program Team to identify potential programmatic and technical risks, assess impacts, and mitigate risks to keep the program on track
• You will guide the product roadmap and play an integral role in change control

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, management or related work experience
• Solid understanding of CAD, business intelligence tools, API’s and automated reporting mechanisms
• 5+ years of project management experience, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional teams in complex technical environments
• Experience creating, maintaining, and managing detailed execution schedules
• This position requires the ability to obtain a US Security Clearance for which the US Government requires US Citizenship.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering or similar technical field
• Strong technical aptitude
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills
• Experience working with US Government customers
• Concept‑to‑launch experience on launch vehicle programs
• Experience with cost‑constrained and budget‑constrained launch programs
• Experience with aerospace environments other than traditional large prime contractors
• Experience with Intelligence Community and Department of Defense customer communities and project management practices
• Experience with supply chain, manufacturing and lower tier suppliers
• Ability to determine what is needed to achieve program goals and leave business as usual behind

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.