Chief Engineer, Launch Vehicles

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Engineer, Launch Vehicles, serves as the technical cornerstone for Firefly Aerospace’s space ecosystem vision. The role defines vehicle-level architecture and capabilities, integrates technologies with disciplined risk management, and ensures engineering decisions support mission success and technical integrity. The Chief Engineer leads interdisciplinary optimization for an assigned program and serves as its customer-facing technical point of contact throughout the mission lifecycle. Responsibilities include system-level trades, commodity-budget analysis, vehicle capability improvements, and oversight of technical rationale for vehicle-level decisions. The position is based at Firefly’s Cedar Park, Texas headquarters, with regular presence required at the Production and Test facility in Briggs, Texas, and periodic travel to launch sites in Vandenberg, California, and Wallops Island, Virginia. Travel is approximately 10%, with higher percentages in support of launch campaigns. The role provides on-console support for integrated testing and launch operations and may involve resolving live anomalies during mission operations. Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline and have at least five years of hands-on experience in engineering problem solving involving launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems. A master’s or PhD, eight or more years of aerospace experience, relevant technical-authority and operational experience, and other listed qualifications are desired. Applicants must meet applicable U.S. Government space technology export-control eligibility requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline, such as computer science, mathematics, physics, or chemistry.
At least 5 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 interdisciplinary system interactions.
Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time, with higher travel percentages in support of launch campaigns.
Strong interpersonal skills and effective verbal and written communication.
Flexibility regarding workflow and process.
Excellent organization 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, to conform to U.S. Government 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, physics, or chemistry.
At least 8 years of professional, hands-on aerospace engineering experience in design, analysis, manufacturing, test, or vehicle-level operations.
Competency with engineering design configuration, risk management, and change management.
Ability to anticipate the impacts of vehicle-level changes to launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems.
Experience serving as the primary technical authority over a full launch service lifecycle, from kickoff to mission completion.
On-console test experience or experience supporting 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.
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.

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.
Analyze and optimize mass, performance, power, and data budgets.
Chair vehicle-level design and milestone reviews and hold the team to Firefly and program standards and the program’s risk posture.
Develop innovative vehicle design and operations solutions, integrating modern technologies to improve program capabilities.
Identify opportunities for standardization and commonality in 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 authority for vehicle risk.
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 technical risks, and communicate impacts and associated changes across departments and programs.
Provide real-time, on-console support for integrated test and launch operations and resolve live anomalies during mission operations.
Lead interdisciplinary efforts in coordination with Business Development, Engineering, Program Management, and Operations.
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 throughout the lifecycle, 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 ready for assigned missions.
Provide technical mentorship and facilitate the training pipeline for the Chief Engineering team.