Structures Engineer II (Spacecraft)

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

About The Position

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an experienced spacecraft structures engineer to develop primary and secondary structures throughout the product life cycle for the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander and Elytra vehicles. The engineer will contribute to analysis, design, fabrication, and testing as part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team. Strong collaboration and communication skills and a positive attitude are important. The role covers the complete hardware design cycle, from conceptual design and structural layout through sizing analysis, production, and structural testing. Work includes designing composite and metallic structures for orbital and lander spacecraft, optimizing mass and production rates, and supporting design requalification. The engineer will also support production teams, future mission configuration development and trade studies, requirements compliance and verification, hardware delivery schedules, mass budgets, and cross-system collaboration. The position creates CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications, analysis reports, and test plans and reports. It also involves first-order strength and sizing calculations, working with stress and dynamics analysts to document critical structural capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace, mechanical, or civil engineering.
At least 3 years of experience in aerospace or related structures engineering.
Strong design and integration skills using 3-D CAD software; Siemens NX and FiberSim are preferred.
Strong understanding of ASME Y14.5 and drafting techniques for component and assembly specifications.
Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team and provide technical guidance and insight.
Demonstrated experience with precision structural integration and manufacturing techniques.

Nice To Haves

Master of Science degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering and/or at least 5 years of experience.
Working knowledge of composite manufacturing methods, material selection, testing, and characterization.
Experience with industry FEA/FEM tools such as Nastran, ANSYS, FEMAP, or Simcenter.
Experience with advanced honeycomb panel design and manufacturing techniques, including heat pipe integration and thermal control systems.
Experience with vehicle-level static and vibroacoustic testing.
Familiarity with aerospace standard structural analysis methods such as Bruhn, Niu, and Roark.

Responsibilities

Own and influence the hardware design cycle, including conceptual design, structural layout, sizing analysis, hardware production, and structural testing.
Design and develop composite and metallic structures for orbital and lander spacecraft.
Optimize existing designs for mass and production rate and requalify designs.
Support production teams through onsite review and verification, and close non-conformance dispositions in a timely manner.
Support configuration development and trade studies for future spacecraft missions.
Maintain requirements compliance and verification, hardware delivery schedules, mass budgets, and inter-system collaboration activities.
Create CAD models, manufacturing drawings, specifications, analysis reports, test plans, and test reports.
Perform first-order strength and sizing calculations and work with stress and dynamics analysts to document critical strength capabilities.