Propulsion Engineer II/III - Alpha Turbopumps

Firefly Aerospace•Briggs, TX

17d

About The Position

The Alpha Engines team designs, integrates, and operates the Reaver and Lightning engines that power the first and second stages of Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle. As the Turbopump Assembly Responsible Engineer, you will own turbomachinery hardware throughout its lifecycle, from requirements definition and design through analysis, development, testing, qualification, and flight. You will lead hardware design and analysis, work with fabrication and integration teams on manufacturing and assembly, and support testing and flight operations. You will act as a turbomachinery subject matter expert for the Alpha Engines team and contribute to engine development, test campaigns, and launch operations. The role requires technical knowledge of rotating machinery, ownership of hardware from concept to flight, and communication across propulsion, structures, avionics, and vehicle systems. Firefly seeks a self-starting engineer who challenges assumptions and contributes in a fast-paced development environment.

Requirements

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
Level II: 3 or more years of experience; Level III: 6 or more years of experience.
Fundamental understanding of rotating machinery.
Strong understanding of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and solid mechanics.
Deep knowledge of engineering fundamentals and demonstrated ability to apply first principles to develop simple, robust solutions.
Hands-on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing.
Experience with CAD and configuration management tools, including managing large assemblies; Siemens NX and Teamcenter are preferred.
Understanding of GD&T, tolerancing, and ASME Y14.5.
Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, GFSSP, or other control, data acquisition, and data reduction software.
Working knowledge of turbomachinery manufacturing and inspection methods, including precision machining, castings and forgings, additive manufacturing, welding, assembly, and NDT.
Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills.
Ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirements.
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 under applicable U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent field.
Five or more years of experience developing turbomachinery for launch vehicles, spacecraft, or liquid rocket engine propulsion systems.
Demonstrated experience owning the full hardware lifecycle, from blank-sheet design through full operation.
Experience designing, analyzing, developing, or testing turbomachinery or other rotating equipment, such as rocket turbopumps, gas turbines, compressors, or industrial pumps.
Specialized depth in one or more of pump or inducer hydrodynamic design, turbine aero-mechanical design, rotordynamics, bearing design, or seal design.
Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust balance modeling, meanline analysis, and cavitation performance prediction and mitigation.
Proficiency with industry analysis tools such as ANSYS (CFX, Fluent, Mechanical, thermal), StarCCM+, BladeGen, Concepts NREC, or rotordynamics software such as XLRotor, SAFE, and Campbell diagrams.
In-depth knowledge of cryogenic, high-pressure, or high-temperature system operations and compatible material selection.
Experience with design for manufacturability of turbomachinery components.
Experience with dynamic or spin balancing and turbopump assembly, integration, and acceptance procedures.
Experience with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation, including pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, flow meters, load cells, and accelerometers.
Experience reducing the complexity of large integrated assemblies to reduce part count, cost, and lead time.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate full ownership of turbopump hardware throughout the product lifecycle.
Own fluid and mechanical design of turbopump components to meet operational requirements.
Lead design improvements focused on reliability and manufacturability.
Drive fluid, structural, thermal, and dynamic analyses for turbopump hardware.
Develop and maintain first-principles tools and models to predict turbopump performance and operability.
Own tolerance stackups and design databooks; collaborate with manufacturing and quality to ensure assembled turbopumps meet design intent.
Plan, coordinate, and execute component and assembly development, qualification, and acceptance testing, including defining configurations and procedures, supporting test execution, reviewing data, and resolving anomalies.
Author and present design review, test readiness, and data review presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
Identify system-level risks, perform trade studies, and drive decisions based on technical merit, risk, cost, schedule, and quality to support successful engine and vehicle operations.
Provide hands-on support for turbopump and engine manufacturing and assembly; help disposition non-conformances and drive corrective actions.
Lead development of design concepts that reduce complexity, part count, cost, and lead time while maximizing reliability within program constraints.
Represent turbomachinery during Alpha engine testing, stage testing, and launch operations.