Propulsion Engine Manager

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACEAs an end-to-end space transportation company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.SUMMARYAs Propulsion Engine Manager you will leverage your creativity, ingenuity, and experience to design, test, and produce the next generation of liquid rocket engines for space exploration and accessibility. At Firefly we strive to make the world’s simplest rocket engines by decreasing complexity to increase reliability and performance while lowering cost. In this role you will produce innovative solutions to challenging problems throughout a project’s full life cycle, including design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and operational support. You will take profound ownership of your projects, and will collaborate with other product groups (structures, fluid systems, avionics, vehicle/spacecraft systems) to make critical decisions. To be successful in this role, you should embrace challenging problems and be able to synthesize disparate pieces of information to establish best path forward. Your passion and determination will create leading edge propulsion systems in a fast-paced environment.RESPONSIBILITIESExtreme ownership of a full engine system. You will be the responsible engineer for one of Firefly’s five liquid rocket engine programs.Lead a cross-functional team of propulsion engineers responsible for engine architecture including all design and analysis and testing for our next generation engine.You will be the technical expert for your engine program during reviews and failure investigationsYou will work with the department’s manufacturing, build and test teamsServe as a mentor for the existing propulsion engineers, providing technical guidance and leadershipDesign and execute engine development, acceptance, and qualification campaigns in support of the program and vehicle objectives.Develop new, innovative design concepts for propulsion components and experimental tooling, that reduce part count and complexityExecute design for manufacturability changes to enhance production efficiencyIdentify and trade strategies to meet design requirements of flight hardware and toolingMake development decisions based on technical merit, risk, cost, schedule, and/or quality assuranceAssist in the development of manufacturing, integration, and test processes, including work instructions, test procedures, and early build supportPartner with engineering and production teams to generate ideas, designs, and improvements for current and next-generation liquid rocket enginesQUALIFICATIONSRequiredBS in Mechanical or Aerospace EngineeringStrong interpersonal and organizational skills6+ years of experience in a related aerospace or mechanical field, with a focus in propulsion or fluid systemsStrong engineering fundamentals in compressible and incompressible flow, heat transfer, combustion devices, rocket engine cycles, and mechanicsDemonstrated aptitude for leadership in solving complex problemsA passion for product optimization design and rapid manufacturingEngineering experience across the full product lifecycle from idea to successful testAbility to be self-directed and balance several tasks at onceExperience leading technical reviews (design & analysis) or investigations (risk, anomaly, or trade studies)Understanding of P&IDs, fluid system sizing, fluid component and instrumentation selection, fluid dynamics fundamentals, cryogenic systems and pressurized systemsDesiredMS in Mechanical or Aerospace EngineeringFamiliarity with presenting trade studies, risks, schedules, requirements, and budget to program management or leadershipProven experience in data review, data analysis, and report generationExperience with liquid rocket engine development, design, test, or flight operationsExperience with liquid rocket engine subcomponent or pressurized component (valves, regulators, tubes, etc.) development, design, or testHands-on experience with integrating test articles and sub-assemblies for test or productionExperience with maturing a conceptual design for use in a production environmentProven experience in working with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, flow meters, load cells, and accelerometersFamiliarity with some or all of the following software packages: Python, LabVIEW, GFSSP, Winplot, or other control, data acquisition, and reduction softwareFirefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, pet Insurance, and flexible PTO options.To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.