Manager, Component Test Engineer

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

As an end-to-end responsive space company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles allow us to service the entire lifecycle of government and commercial missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. We utilize carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies, and common components across our vehicles to iterate quickly, improve reliability, and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

This position is located at our manufacturing and test facility in Briggs, TX, north of Cedar Park.

The manager for this position will support Firefly’s Flight and Test Operations team. This team is responsible for the operation of all the test stands at Firefly’s Testing Site in Briggs, Texas as well as supporting launch operations at our launch sites, such as Vandenberg, California. If you’re the type of person that wants to know every last detail regarding the operation, function and performance of a rocket, Test and Launch Operations is the place for you.

Operations engineers partner with engineers from across the company to test and validate hardware all in the pursuit of making flight worthy components. Best of all, they launch the rockets. Firefly is a new aerospace company, full of creative and talented people, and the engineers in Flight and Test Operations are the where the “Lox hits the TEA-TEB”.

Engineers on this team are responsible for not just partnering with their fellow engineers to hash out plans to test components to their flight-like limits, but also developing the required infrastructure, mechanical, electrical and software, to support these tests. Engineers are expected to be fast on their feet, adaptive and responsive to challenges. They are expected to be in the field, working in hands on and time sensitive applications.

Operations Engineers are expected to be self-sufficient, driven and highly motivated engineers up for learning new skills and taking on challenges to excel.

• Set up and perform tests on a wide range of small valves, mechanisms, COPVs, and other Aerospace components
• Develop test procedures to check out and operate launch vehicle systems and subsystems
• Execute test plans and procedures on console, using voice comm systems and data display and control systems
• Develop and execute system validations, activations, upgrades and other tests required to ensure your stand is ready to support testing
• Manage test stand scheduling for operations and maintenance down time
• Participate in resolving any issues and non-conformances that arise during operations, and support failure and anomaly investigations, troubleshooting and resolution development
• Design and develop automated scripts that support test and launch operations
• Work with test site and launch site responsible engineers to optimize test and launch systems designs and operation
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities for performance, reliability, and cost
• Ensure all operations are performed on time, safely and in a professional manner
• Analyze and review data to ensure that hardware is operating as expected utilizing numerical data analysis tools to interpret test results

• BS in Engineering or related engineering discipline
• Works well in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment
• Exceptional comprehension of engineering fundamentals
• Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills
• Experience with 3D and 2D CAD software
• Ability to lift 30 pounds and to be on your feet all day when required
• Ability to work on test stands and use standard mechanical and electrical tools
• Willingness to travel to support launch operations in California. (Max, 25%)

• Ability to read and understand technical drawings, including GD&T and P&IDs
• Experience building, troubleshooting or operating fluid systems
• Experience with test plan generation
• Ability to perform computations for fluid systems (e.g., pressure drop, valve timing, etc.) for liquids, cryogenic liquids, and gases
• Independent, driven and able to develop solutions with…