Structures Engineer (Launch Vehicles)
ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE
Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.
SUMMARY
Firefly is looking for talented Mechanical or Aerospace Engineers to join our Primary Structures Team. As an entry-level Structures Responsible Engineer for Primary Structures, you will develop our state-of-the-art pressurized structures throughout the product life cycle for Launch Vehicles. You will be part of a highly skilled, dynamic team that will involve you in all aspects of analysis, design, fabrication, and testing. Excellent collaboration and communication skills, along with a can-do attitude are critical.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Formulate the comprehensive cradle to grave Road Map for your hardware - owning conceptual design, structural layout, sizing analysis, hardware production, and structural testing
Design and development of very large composite pressurized structures
Mass optimization of existing designs and requalifying designs
Supporting products from conceptual creation, design release, analysis, prototype, qual and production
Support configuration development and trade studies
Maintain requirements, activity schedule, budget, and status
Create CAD, manufacturing drawings, specifications, and other documentation
Perform first order strength and sizing calculations for your structure
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
B.S. degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering
Internship(s) in a structural system design-related role
Strong design and integration skills using 3-D CAD software (Siemens NX / FiberSim preferable).
Ability to effectively work in a multi-discipline team and provide technical guidance and insight.
Experience with industry FEA/FEM tools like Nastran, ANSYS, FEMAP, Simcenter, etc.
A passion for the structures!
Desired
Experience taking hardware from analysis, through test, and back through analysis validation
Familiarity with aerospace standard structural analysis methods (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, etc)
Working knowledge of composite manufacturing methods, material selection, testing, and characterization
Demonstrated experience with composite structures and manufacturing techniques
Bonus Points
Experience with Pressurant or Propellant tanks
Experience with filament wound and/or AFP structures
Passion for very big Pressurized Structures.