Mechanical Engineer IV (Spacecraft Mechanisms)

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 an experienced mechanical engineer to develop our state-of-the-art mechanical separation and interfacing systems throughout the product life cycle. 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 positive attitude are critical.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in entire hardware lifecycle for a variety of moving mechanical assemblies and structures.
• Develop and scrub requirements
• Support configuration development and trade studies.
• Conceptual design/analysis
• Perform first-order strength and sizing calculations for your responsible mechanisms.
• Generate CAD, manufacturing drawings, specifications, and other documentation.
• Production Implementation
• Hardware development and qualification test definition
• Demonstrate compliance with NASA, Space Force, or other relevant launch jurisdiction standards
• Collaborate with team to develop and improve processes related to above responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• B.S. degree in aerospace or mechanical and 8+ years' demonstrated professional experience in aerospace or related mechanical engineering field
• Strong design and integration skills using 3-D CAD software (Siemens NX 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, etc.
• Experience designing and analyzing composite and metallic structure.
• Good understanding of first principles from variety of engineering disciplines (mechanical, structural dynamics, materials, fluids/thermodynamics, electrical)
• Drive for independent learning.

Desired

• M.S. degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering and/or 10+ years of relevant experience
• Working knowledge of composite manufacturing methods, material selection, and testing.
• Experience developing physical tests to validate analysis and evaluate assumptions
• Familiarity with aerospace standard structural analysis methods (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, Shigley’s, etc)
• Previous experience in launch vehicle or spacecraft mechanisms.
• Working knowledge of at least one computer/scripting language at the professional or hobbyist level.

Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, 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