Spaceflight Instrumentation & Controls Lead

Firefly Aerospace; Briggs (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a seasoned engineering leader to mentor up to 10 engineers in designing, implementing, and testing ground systems for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft.

You will recruit and develop talent, define milestones, and drive technical excellence while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and safety requirements. This role focuses on cross-functional collaboration and program delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Aerospace Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in integration and/or testing of process control systems, spacecraft test equipment, or launch systems.
• Minimum 2 years of direct management experience or team leadership experience.
• Strong electrical fundamentals with hands-on experience using DMMs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and small ADC/DAC circuits.
• Working knowledge of common electrical sensors (thermocouples, RTDs, strain gauges, pressure transducers, encoders, load cells etc)
• Excellent communication, planning, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability and desire to work with interdisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers designing instrumentation and control systems for ground systems of launch vehicles and spacecraft.
• Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent with passion for advancing space access.
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, align development with company targets, conduct performance reviews, and foster a healthy, challenging team culture.
• Inspire a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement by challenging hardware and software norms.
• Define and manage project definition, milestones, hand-off, and resource allocation forecasts.
• Oversee design, development, testing, and deployment of GSE control and instrumentation systems including functional test systems and data acquisition.
• Review and approve instrumentation and control drawing packages (diagrams, cable schedules, loop diagrams, wiring diagrams).
• Diagnose and resolve complex electrical problems in Integration, Test, and Launch systems.
• Support test execution/troubleshooting and validate functional testing configurations.
• Review and analyze test data to ensure the highest quality and accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with aerospace quality standards, safety requirements, and local regulations.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with interdisciplinary teams; manage capital budgets for Ground Support projects.

Skills

Team leadership

Electrical engineering

Systems integration

Troubleshooting

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

DMMs

Power supplies

LabVIEW

National Instruments

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a seasoned engineering leader to mentor up to 10 engineers in designing, implementing, and testing ground systems for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft.

You will recruit and develop talent, define milestones, and drive technical excellence while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and safety requirements. This role focuses on cross-functional collaboration and program delivery.