Spacecraft Propulsion Fluids Engineer – Lead Design

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Responsible Engineer for the Propulsion Fluid Systems team. You will own the fluid subsystem lifecycle from requirements to flight, lead CAD design and analysis, and collaborate across structures, propulsion, and vehicle systems.

You will support testing, qualification, and flight operations, delivering robust, manufacturable solutions. The role emphasizes problem‑solving, clear communication, and hands‑on hardware development in a fast‑paced environment, with

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
• 3+ 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 (CAD, FEA, CFD, MATLAB, Python).
• Hands-on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing.

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

Problem solving

Communication

Technical writing

Hands‑on hardware experience

Education

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

CAD

FEA

CFD

MATLAB

Python

Ansys

Caesar II

Bentley Autopipe

Job description

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Responsible Engineer for the Propulsion Fluid Systems team. You will own the fluid subsystem lifecycle from requirements to flight, lead CAD design and analysis, and collaborate across structures, propulsion, and vehicle systems.

You will support testing, qualification, and flight operations, delivering robust, manufacturable solutions. The role emphasizes problem‑solving, clear communication, and hands‑on hardware development in a fast‑paced environment, with