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Spacecraft Thermal Manager Verified today

Firefly Aerospace · Texas · Mechanical · first seen 2026-09-29
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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. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is 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

You will lead spacecraft thermal systems across multiple vehicle programs. This includes managing a team of thermal engineers, setting team standards and processes, and ensuring thermal priorities are clearly communicated across the organization. You will own hiring, performance management, and team development while maintaining deep technical expertise in spacecraft thermal engineering.

Key Responsibilities

  • Manage a team of Thermal Engineers that drive major vehicle design decisions across multiple spacecraft programs
  • Define process, standards, and tools for designing, developing, and maintaining integrated spacecraft thermal models
  • Create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment
  • Assess and address staffing needs to ensure appropriate coverage
  • Represent thermal priorities, constraints, and contributions in cross-functional and leadership discussions
  • Understand and defend the team's analyses to ensure technical rigor and credibility of deliverables
  • Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and ownership areas for each team member
  • Ensure thermal tasks and deliverables are completed on schedule and remove roadblocks
  • Address performance concerns with fairness, transparency, and accountability
  • Define and uphold standards for thermal methods, documentation, review processes, and technical quality
  • Ensure clear, complete, and traceable documentation for all thermal work
  • Support technical growth through mentorship, feedback, and knowledge sharing
  • Own the hiring process for the Spacecraft Thermal Team
  • Define thermal analysis strategies from conceptual design through flight
  • Organize and lead testing, including vehicle-level thermal vacuum testing
  • Serve as point of contact for the thermal control subsystem during launch operations
  • Mentor and technically review work from thermal engineers across experience levels

Required Qualifications

  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
  • Approximately 8 or more years of spacecraft thermal analysis experience
  • Expert knowledge of spacecraft heat transfer and thermal control systems
  • Experience mentoring or managing teams of engineers
  • Extensive experience with Thermal Desktop and industry-standard thermal analysis software
  • Demonstrated success leading thermal analyses through design, testing, and flight
  • Experience with instrumentation and testing thermal hardware
  • Experience correlating analytical models using environmental and flight data
  • Strong programming skills using Python, MATLAB, or similar languages
  • Excellent technical leadership and communication skills
  • Proven ability to independently scope, execute, defend, and communicate complex analyses
  • Must be willing to relocate to the greater Austin area

Desired Qualifications

  • M.S. or Ph.D.
  • 3 or more years of management experience
  • Experience supporting NASA, DoD, or commercial spacecraft programs
  • Experience developing new thermal analysis methodologies or software automation
  • Familiarity with thermal standards (GSFC-STD-7001B, SMC-S-016, RCC-319, Spacecraft Payload requirements)
  • Experience organizing and executing thermal vacuum tests
  • Experience with advanced spacecraft thermal control technologies, lunar environments, plume heating, and mission-specific thermal phenomena

Benefits

Firefly offers generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.

Requirements

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.