Spacecraft Thermal Manager

firefly; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

Parental leave

Education reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Senior Thermal Manager to lead the spacecraft thermal engineering team responsible for multiple vehicle programs. You will own hiring, performance, development, and the culture of the Thermal team, while guiding analyses and ensuring technical rigor across design, testing, and flight phases.

The role requires deep expertise in thermal systems, strong judgment, and the ability to manage multidisciplinary efforts, including analysis, testing, and vehicle design, with

Qualifications

• 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 instrumentation and testing thermal hardware

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Thermal Engineers across multiple spacecraft programs
• Define processes, standards, and tools for thermal modeling
• Hire, develop, and retain team members and build a strong team culture
• Oversee staffing, performance, and hiring for the Thermal team
• Defend and communicate complex thermal analyses and results
• Organize and lead vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing

Skills

Team leadership

Spacecraft thermal engineering

Python / MATLAB

Mentoring / coaching

Technical communication

Education

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering or related

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

Thermal Desktop

Other thermal analysis software

Job description

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
• Strong programming skills using Python, MATLAB, or similar languages
• Excellent technical leadership and communication skills
• Proven ability to independently scope, execute, defend, and communicate complex analyses

Desired

• 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

Benefits

• 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.