Principal Fluid Systems Engineer Verified today
About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company building reliable launch, landing, and space systems. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, 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.
The Role
The Fluid Systems team owns all fluid subsystems across Firefly's launch vehicles and spacecraft, including the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander and Eclipse Launch Vehicle. As Principal Propulsion Engineer, you will own design, development, integration, test, and qualification of flight fluid systems. You'll work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and integration teams to iterate, answer questions, and close feedback loops.
This role blends deep technical ownership with cross-functional collaboration, serving as both individual contributor and technical mentor.
What You'll Do
- Own and lead full lifecycle development of flight fluid systems from concept through launch and operation.
- Develop architectures that improve reliability, simplify manufacturing, and reduce cost and schedule risk.
- Define system requirements and interface definitions for propulsion, pressurization, venting, purging, fill/drain, and other fluidic subsystems.
- Execute detailed designs using CAD and analytical tools, coordinating with thermal, structural, systems, and integration teams.
- Oversee qualification and acceptance test campaigns, including procedure development, test execution, and data review.
- Lead technical risk trades, anomaly investigations, and corrective actions across engineering and production.
- Mentor early-career engineers and provide technical reviews of hardware designs, analysis, and test plans.
- Serve as discipline owner in program architecture discussions and influence long-term roadmap for in-space servicing and reusability.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of experience in aerospace fluid systems or propulsion.
- Proven ownership of a subsystem or major fluid component through design, build, and test.
- Strong technical foundation in pressurized systems, cryogenics, high-pressure gas, and propellant feed design.
- Proficiency in CAD, P&ID creation, and familiarity with ASME Y14.5 and aerospace standards.
- Experience conducting system-level analysis, risk trades, and root cause investigations.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills across engineering and production teams.
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in engineering discipline.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with hardware, including fluid test hardware and instrumentation.
- Familiarity with in-space propulsion, NASA standards, and range safety (91-710).
- Experience with analytical tools such as GFSSP, Python, REFPROP, or thermal/fluid modeling.
- Experience working with hypergolic bi-propellants.
- Understanding of propulsion engine cycles and integration with fluid systems.
- History of developing flexible solutions with partially defined requirements and changing criteria.
- Ability to present technical content to internal and external review boards.
Employment Details
Firefly offers health, dental and vision plans with low deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.
To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.