Fluids GSE Design Engineer III

Fluids GSE Design Engineer III

Join to apply for the Fluids GSE Design Engineer III role at Firefly Aerospace.

As an end-to-end responsive 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.

As a Fluids Ground Support Equipment (FGSE) Design Engineer, you will have the opportunity to leverage your creative background and expertise to help develop Firefly’s next generation of launch sites, test stands, and production equipment supporting Firefly’s entire fleet of launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will work in small collaborative groups, on fluid system design, installation, maintenance, and operation across our various facilities.

This work includes preliminary and detailed design, installation, startup support, system baselining, performance analysis, and recommending upgrades. This role will require travel to both our Cedar Park, TX Headquarters and our Briggs, TX Production and Development Facility.

• Design of ground fluid systems includes developing P&IDs, tube & pipe sizing calculations for cryogenic, multiphase, compressible & in compressible fluids, valve/fitting/component specification and selection, design for critical safety equipment, basic control philosophy for system modifications, pipe & equipment coating & insulation specification and more.
• Manage the fabrication, installation, checkout, and operation of these systems.
• Coordinate and plan fabrication/construction with GSE technician team, including but not limited to:
  • Providing P&IDs and dimensional drawings for systems
  • Generating drawings and work instructions
  • Planning/scheduling upcoming work
  • Considering technician feedback in the design phase
  • Providing on-the-ground support and direction to build teams
• Coordinate with and perform work according to policy, procedures and specifications established by the Ground Support Equipment design team.
• Maintain a high level of understanding of relevant requirements, engineering codes and piping standards including launch range requirements and ASME B31.1, ASME B31.3, ANSI, API, and applicable NFPA standards.
• Participate in and lead internal design reviews, and operations readiness reviews, as well as represent Firefly during external design reviews.
• Perform activation testing of your systems including determining test objectives, test requirements, detailed procedure writing with a focus on safety, executing test plans and procedures, and working with other teams as necessary.
• Maintain and upgrade fluid systems as necessary, including crafting preventative maintenance plans for systems & equipment.
• Troubleshoot fluid systems for nonconformance using the company’s nonconformance reporting system to engineering instructions, i.e. dispositions and work steps.
• Travel to test and launch sites, as required, to support the company objectives.

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Must have 7+ years of work experience in a Fluids Design not including internships.
• Strong understanding of first-principles in fluids, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
• Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high pressure, fast paced environment.
• Ability to self‑motivate and take the initiative to ensure your systems are functional and operating at peak performance.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to take extreme ownership over a large or complex system.
• Capable of balancing detailed design tasks with higher level project management style tasks, including budgeting, scheduling, and communications.
• Capacity to organize, communicate, and lead in a multidisciplinary environment.
• 10+ years of recent experience in a professional setting outside the classroom with fluid systems,…