Spacecraft Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer III

Cedarparktexasedc; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous health, dental, and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO options

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to lead the transition of spacecraft propulsion products from development to production at our Cedar Park location. The engineer will own fabrication and assembly processes, and implement improvements to enhance production efficiency.

Required qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and over 8 years of relevant experience in complex manufacturing environments. Outstanding benefits such as health plans and flexible PTO are offered.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in a Manufacturing Engineer role.
• Experience with complex assemblies in aerospace/aviation.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings.

Responsibilities

• Lead transition of products from development to production.
• Create assembly instructions and manage technician teams.
• Investigate process failures and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Technical drawing interpretation

Troubleshooting

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Critical thinking

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

Python

Excel

SQL

PLM systems

Job description

ABOUT

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

The Firefly Spacecraft Propulsion Manufacturing team is responsible for the fabrication, integration, test, and delivery of engines and fluid systems to spacecraft programs. Propulsion MEs are makers, people who can take an idea on paper and turn it into a fully functioning component ready to fly to space. This role is located at our spacecraft manufacturing and test site in Cedar Park, TX.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the transition of products from development to production
• End to end ownership of the fabrication, assembly, and test procedures for spacecraft propulsion subassemblies.
• Create assembly instructions and work with technician teams to implement and qualify new processes
• Continuous process development and improvement with the aim of radically increasing production rate and substantially reducing cost.
• Lead investigations of process failures through root cause and implementation of corrective actions
• Participate in design reviews and provide feedback to the design teams.
• Develop and execute functional checkout procedures and processes where applicable.
• Disposition non-conformances that occur throughout the build process, develop and implement corrective actions
• Conduct manufacturability reviews and implement design improvements

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field
• 8+ years of experience working in a Manufacturing Engineer role
• Proven experience with complex assemblies, e.g. production in aerospace/aviation/automotive industries
• Able to read and interpret technical drawings and assembly instructions
• Proven experience with complex troubleshooting
• Proven experience working in dynamic and evolving environments with short deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey methodologies for assembly and troubleshooting
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills – Must be a team player
• Proven experience with tasks requiring extreme attention to detail and prolonged mental concentration
• Critical thinking and strong decision making ability
• Experience working hands on with high‑pressure systems (gas or liquid)
• Working knowledge of common fluid components (valves, regulators, instrumentation)
• Knowledge of data analysis packages (Python/Excel/SQL)
• Experience with PLM systems (Teamcenter, Odoo, or similar)

Desired

• 3 + years of experience in an in‑space propulsion manufacturing team
• Experience with advanced manufacturing techniques (welding, brazing, casting, additive fabrication, forging, spin forming, etc.)
• Experience with writing assembly procedures for mechanical, electrical, or structural systems
• Experience writing test plans, procedures and identifying pass/fail criteria on systems
• Experience with modern manufacturing principles, such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, etc
• Experience with complex system assembly and hands on build experience preferably in space systems or aerospace applications
• Knowledge of data analysis packages (Python/Excel)
• Experience with environmental testing (thermal, vibrational, shock, etc)

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, 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.