Chief Engineer, Spacecraft

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Engineer serves as the technical cornerstone for Firefly Aerospace’s space ecosystem vision, defining vehicle-level architecture and capabilities to reliably deliver missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. The role integrates advanced technologies with disciplined risk management and maintains engineering standards that support mission success. The Chief Engineer leads interdisciplinary optimization for an assigned program and acts as its customer-facing technical point of contact throughout the mission lifecycle. Responsibilities include system-level trades, analysis of system commodity budgets, and development of solutions that improve vehicle capabilities. As the primary technical authority, the Chief Engineer ensures vehicle-level decisions are supported by sound engineering rationale. The position is based at Firefly’s Hive Spacecraft facility and requires regular presence at the Production and Test facility in Briggs, Texas, north of Cedar Park. Travel is approximately 10%, with higher travel percentages in support of environmental testing and launch.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline, such as computer science, mathematics, or physics.
At least 8 years of hands-on engineering problem-solving experience in design, analysis, test, or operations of launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems.
Ability to apply engineering fundamentals, including a strong understanding of orbital mechanics.
Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time, with higher percentages in support of environmental test and launch.
Strong interpersonal skills and effective verbal and written communication.
Flexibility regarding workflow and process.
Excellent organizational skills and willingness to work with a team, share expertise, and follow instructions to accomplish established goals.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations for compliance with space technology export regulations, including ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or PhD degree in engineering or a related discipline, such as computer science, mathematics, or physics.
At least 10 years of professional, hands-on aerospace engineering experience in design, analysis, manufacturing, test, or vehicle-level operations.
Competency in engineering design configuration, risk management, and change management.
Ability to anticipate the impacts of vehicle-level changes on launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems.
Experience serving as the primary technical authority throughout a spacecraft lifecycle, from kickoff through mission completion.
On-console test experience or support of launch vehicle and/or spacecraft system operations.
Experience with real-time troubleshooting and anomaly resolution in high-stakes environments.
Comprehensive understanding of aerospace manufacturing processes, materials, and specifications.
Experience working in a clean room environment, such as ISO 14644-1:2015(E) Class 8.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry standards such as Range Safety, AS9100, and SMC Standards.
Experience with Atlassian products (Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket), Teamcenter, Epsilon3, and/or Odoo.
TS/SCI security clearance or ability to obtain one.
Planetary science experience.

Responsibilities

Define vehicle-level architecture, capabilities, specifications, operations, and interdisciplinary optimization in alignment with Firefly objectives.
Influence and direct configuration requirements by conducting, evaluating, and leading system-level trades to advance vehicle design and functionality.
Analyze and optimize mass, delta V, power, and data budgets to ensure technical feasibility and operational success.
Chair vehicle-level design and milestone reviews and hold the team to Firefly and program standards and risk posture.
Develop solutions for vehicle design and operations, integrating modern technologies to improve program capabilities.
Identify opportunities to standardize and commonize component selection and integrated system designs across Firefly programs and product lines.
Own the technical risk posture for assigned programs, products, and missions as the vehicle-risk authority.
Reduce system vulnerabilities through root-cause investigation, change management, corrective action, and risk mitigation and verification plans.
Review and validate designs, work instructions, nonconformances, test plans, and test procedures across subsystems.
Identify, mitigate, and track program risks and communicate technical impacts and associated changes across departments and programs.
Provide real-time, on-console support for integrated operations and resolve live anomalies during mission operations.
Lead interdisciplinary efforts with Business Development, Engineering, Program Management, and Operations for assigned programs or products.
Collaborate with Production, Integration, and Quality Assurance to ensure seamless operations.
Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, vendors, and program partners from proposal through end-of-mission data reviews.
Represent Firefly at conferences, reviews, and investor meetings.
Lead Mission Readiness and Data Reviews to ensure the vehicle and personnel are prepared for missions.
Provide technical mentorship and facilitate the training pipeline for the Chief Engineering team.