Fluids Engineer II Verified today

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. Firefly was the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is building the next generation of launch and space infrastructure.

The Role

As a Fluids Ground Support Equipment Engineer, you'll own the complete lifecycle of critical fluid systems at our launch sites, test stands, and production facilities. You'll work in a dynamic and collaborative environment designing and building large complex fluid systems, including incompressible, cryogenics, propellants, and high-pressure gas systems. You'll solve real-world problems in real-time alongside skilled technicians, welders, and cross-functional teams. From architecture trades and detailed designs through fabrication, installation, and activation, you'll be the technical decision-maker ensuring Firefly's launch sites and test stands meet current and future needs for each program.

You'll gain exposure across Firefly's entire fleet: Alpha, Eclipse, Elytra, and Blue Ghost, giving you unparalleled breadth of experiences and challenges.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and build test stand and launch pad fluid systems, including incompressible, cryogenic, and high-pressure gas systems
• Own the full design cycle of your fluid systems, including generating schematics and P&IDs, sizing components, generating BOMs, creating CAD, procuring hardware, and generating drawings
• Work directly with technicians and welders to schedule, prepare, and build your designs and fix real-world problems
• Participate in and lead internal design reviews, operational readiness reviews, and represent Firefly during external design reviews
• Travel to test and launch sites as required to support build and commissioning of new and upgraded fluid systems

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or equivalent
• 2-5 years of recent professional experience with fluid systems, pneumatics, hydraulics, or HVAC systems in a design, assembly, test, or operations capacity
• Thorough understanding of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics
• Solid understanding of fluid components such as valves, regulators, pressure transducers, tubing, tanks, pressurized hardware, seals, and instrumentation
• Experience with fluid system subcomponent or pressurized component development, design, or testing (such as valves, regulators, piping systems, pumps)
• Working knowledge of manufacturing, fabrication, integration, and quality control relevant to fluid components (such as machining, inspection, welding, assembly, testing)
• Demonstrated ability to do clean sheet designs of pressurization systems, propellant systems, or other complex multidisciplinary systems
• Experience creating P&IDs, performing fluid system sizing, fluid component and instrumentation selection, and pressurized system design
• Experience using fluids analysis tools such as REFPROP or GFSSP
• Proficient with 3D and 2D CAD software packages such as Siemens NX
• Capable of balancing detailed design tasks with higher level project management style tasks, including budgeting, scheduling, and communications
• Able to travel in support of GSE build and activation up to 30% of the time

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree in mechanical, aerospace, or equivalent field
• Direct hands-on experience building, troubleshooting, and/or operating complex fluid or mechanical systems
• Cryogenic system design and/or operational experience
• Hypergolic system design and/or operational experience
• Experience working in an aerospace, R&D, or oil and gas environment
• Familiarity with ASME, NASA, and AFSPCMAN standards related to fluid system design, such as ASME B31.3, ASME BPVC Section VIII, and AFSPCMAN 91-710
• Direct experience with design and build of ground systems or related fluid systems including test environments, fluid or gas conditioning/storage, manufacturing processes, and compressible gases

Employment Terms

Firefly offers 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.