Spacecraft Thermal Manager

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.

Cedar Park (TX)

On-site

USD 150,000 - 210,000

Full time

12 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is seeking a Senior Thermal Manager to lead spacecraft thermal engineering across multiple programs. You will own hiring, set standards, mentor engineers, and drive robust thermal models and testing strategies.

The role requires deep expertise in heat transfer, a track record leading teams, and the ability to coordinate across disciplines to ensure thermal reliability from concept to flight. Relocation to the Austin area is expected.

Qualifications

BS in aerospace, mechanical engineering, physics, or related field; MS/PhD preferred.
8+ years of spacecraft thermal analysis experience.
Willingness to relocate to the greater Austin area.
Expert knowledge of spacecraft heat transfer and thermal control systems.
Experience mentoring or managing teams of engineers.
Experience with Thermal Desktop and industry-standard software.

Responsibilities

Manage a team of Thermal Engineers that drive major vehicle design decisions across multiple spacecraft programs.
Define the process, standards, and tools the team must use when designing, developing, and maintaining integrated spacecraft thermal models.
Create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment where individuals feel supported and aligned.
Own the hiring process for the Spacecraft Thermal Team.
Define thermal analysis strategies supporting conceptual design through flight.
Organize and lead testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing.
Serve as the point of contact for the thermal control subsystem during launch operations.

Skills

Thermal analysis

Technical leadership

Instrumentation experience

Team mentoring

Spacecraft hardware

Education

BS in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field

MS or PhD

Tools

Thermal Desktop

industry-standard thermal analysis software

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.

What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family?
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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.

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE
Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24‑hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. 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 Thermal Manager provides leadership for spacecraft thermal systems across multiple vehicle programs. They lead a team of engineers and the output that team delivers. Managers also own hiring, performance, development, and retention, and are responsible for developing and supporting a strong culture within their team.

This role requires deep expertise in spacecraft thermal engineering, strong technical judgment, and the ability to independently manage multidisciplinary efforts involving analysis, testing, and vehicle design.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage a team of Thermal Engineers that drive major vehicle design decisions across multiple spacecraft programs.
Define the process, standards, and tools the team must use when designing, developing, and maintaining integrated spacecraft thermal models
Create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment where individuals feel supported and aligned.
Actively assess and address the staffing needs of the Thermal team to ensure all operations are appropriately staffed.
Represent the team effectively in cross‑functional and leadership discussions - ensuring Thermal priorities, constraints, and contributions are clearly communicated, and ensuring the team’s wins are regularly shared externally.
Understand and be prepared to defend the team’s analyses, ensuring the technical rigor and credibility of Thermal deliverables.
Establish and communicate clear roles, responsibilities, and ownership areas for each team member. Define the expectations for each member of the Thermal team.
Ensure Thermal tasks and deliverables are completed on schedule and help remove roadblocks where needed.
Proactively address performance concerns within the team with fairness, transparency, and accountability.
Define and uphold standards for Thermal methods, documentation, review processes, and technical quality expected of a Thermal Engineer.
Hold the team accountable for producing clear, complete, and traceable documentation for all Thermal work.
Support the technical growth of team members through mentorship, feedback, and by encouraging knowledge sharing.
Own the hiring process for the Spacecraft Thermal Team.
Define thermal analysis strategies supporting conceptual design through flight.
Organize and lead testing, including vehicle‑level thermal vacuum testing.
Serve as the point of contact for the thermal control subsystem during launch operations.
Mentor and technically review work performed by thermal engineers across multiple experience levels.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
Approximately 8+ years of spacecraft thermal analysis experience
Must be willing to relocate to the greater Austin area
Expert knowledge of spacecraft heat transfer and thermal control systems
Experience mentoring or managing teams of engineers
Extensive experience with Thermal Desktop and industry‑standard thermal analysis software
Demonstrated success leading thermal analyses through design, testing, and flight
Experience with instrumentation and testing thermal hardware
Experience correlating analytical models using environmental and flight data
Excellent technical leadership and communication skills
Proven ability to independently scope, execute, defend, and communicate complex analyses
M.S. or Ph.D.
3+ years of management experience
Experience supporting NASA, DoD, or commercial spacecraft programs
Experience developing new thermal analysis methodologies or software automation
Familiarity with thermal standards (e.g., GSFC-STD-7001B, SMC-S-016, RCC-319, Spacecraft Payload requirements)
Experience organizing and executing thermal vacuum tests
Experience with advanced spacecraft thermal control technologies, lunar environments, plume heating, and mission‑specific thermal phenomena

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.

Primary Level Salary Range:

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.

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, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

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