Senior Propulsion Fluid Systems Engineer – Spacecraft

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Responsible Engineer for the Propulsion Fluid Systems team to own the design, analysis, and flight qualification of spacecraft fluid subsystems for Blue Ghost and Elytra. You will lead CAD/design efforts, collaborate with fabrication and integration, and support testing and launch operations.

The role requires a strong background in mechanical/ aerospace engineering, 8+ years in fluid systems or propulsion, and hands-on hardware experience.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
• 8+ 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).
• Hands-on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing.
• Knowledge of fluid components such as valves, regulators, pressure transducers, tubing, seals, instrumentation.
• Ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirements.

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Fluid systems engineering

Propulsion integration

CAD/FEA/CFD

MATLAB/Python

Communication

Hardware testing

Education

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Advanced degree (M.S./Ph.D.)

Tools

CAD

FEA

CFD

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Responsible Engineer for the Propulsion Fluid Systems team to own the design, analysis, and flight qualification of spacecraft fluid subsystems for Blue Ghost and Elytra. You will lead CAD/design efforts, collaborate with fabrication and integration, and support testing and launch operations.

The role requires a strong background in mechanical/ aerospace engineering, 8+ years in fluid systems or propulsion, and hands-on hardware experience.