Spacecraft Avionics Systems Lead (Level 3)

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

Cedar Park (TX)

On-site

USD 180,000 - 250,000

Full time

2 days ago

Be an early applicant

Get a reply from this employer

Your resume and cover letter, tailored to exactly what they’re hiring for.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a Spacecraft Avionics Systems Lead to own the avionics architecture across lunar and orbital vehicles.

This senior role demands hands-on leadership across requirements, interfaces, and verification, with cross-functional collaboration among hardware, firmware, and software teams. You will mentor engineers, guide system-level decisions, and balance reliability with aggressive schedules in a fast-paced startup culture focused on delivering reliable spaceflight

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, electrical, or systems engineering.
8+ years in spacecraft avionics or related roles.
Experience defining avionics architectures and interfaces for spacecraft or similar systems.
Strong written and verbal communication; ability to drive technical consensus.

Responsibilities

Own spacecraft avionics architecture and requirements flow-down.
Lead design reviews and mentor engineers.
Collaborate with hardware, firmware, and software teams.
Drive verification planning and fault handling considerations.
Balance reliability with schedule in a fast-paced startup environment.

Skills

Systems thinking

Technical leadership

Mentorship

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Electrical/Systems Engineering

Master’s degree in a related field

Tools

ECSS standards

Hardware-in-the-loop testing

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 ...

905 13

What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family?
...

243 0

Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ...

740 3

Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ...

443 13

This World Space Week, remember to look up and ...

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

As the Spacecraft Avionics Systems Lead, you will serve as a senior technical leader and hands‑on contributor responsible for the avionics architecture, integration, and performance of Firefly’s spacecraft (including lunar landers and orbital vehicles). You will own key system‑level decisions for command & data handling, power, GNC interfaces, communications, and related avionics functions while remaining deeply involved in requirements, interface definition, trade studies, and verification.

You will provide technical direction across hardware, firmware, software, and harnessing teams, mentor engineers, and drive best practices for reliable spacecraft avionics. This role requires strong systems thinking, deep avionics knowledge, and the ability to balance technical excellence with schedule and risk in a fast‑paced startup environment.

Responsibilities

Systems Leadership & Architecture: Define and own the spacecraft avionics architecture. Lead technical trade studies, requirements flow‑down, interface control documents, and system‑level design decisions that ensure performance, reliability, and compatibility across subsystems.
Technical Direction & Mentorship: Provide technical guidance to avionics hardware, firmware, software, and harnessing engineers. Mentor teammates on systems approaches, integration challenges, and best practices. Lead design reviews and help raise the technical capability of the team.
Hands‑on Systems Engineering: Contribute directly to requirements definition, interface development, failure modes analysis, verification planning, and anomaly resolution. Stay involved in the details rather than pure oversight.
Integration & Coordination: Work closely with GNC, structures, thermal, propulsion, ground systems, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless integration of avionics with the overall spacecraft. Drive alignment between hardware, firmware, and software teams.
Process & Reliability: Help establish clear processes for requirements management, interface control, verification & validation, and configuration management specific to spacecraft avionics. Champion reliability and risk reduction practices appropriate for spaceflight.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
Minimum 8+ years of experience in spacecraft or aerospace avionics systems engineering, architecture, or closely related technical roles.
Demonstrated experience defining avionics architectures, requirements, and interfaces for spacecraft, satellites, or similar systems.
Strong understanding of command & data handling, power systems, GNC interfaces, communications, and harnessing in a spacecraft context.
Experience working across hardware, firmware, and software disciplines.
Demonstrated ability to technically lead and mentor other engineers (formal people management not required).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to drive technical consensus across teams.
Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment with evolving requirements and aggressive schedules.
Master’s degree in a related field.
Experience with lunar landers, orbital vehicles, or deep‑space missions.
Familiarity with radiation effects, fault tolerance, redundancy, and high‑reliability design practices for space.
Experience with requirements management tools, interface control documents, and verification planning.
Exposure to spacecraft power, thermal, or GNC systems beyond pure avionics.
Prior experience at a commercial space company or in a startup environment.
Familiarity with relevant standards (e.g., ECSS, NASA, or commercial space practices).

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.

Get your free, confidential resume review.

or drag and drop your file here.