FGSE Lead Technician

Job Description

Job Description

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

As a GSE Technician Supervisor, you will coordinate the fabrication of a variety of Ground Support Equipment. You will work closely with engineers, purchasers and contractors while directing GSE technicians to facilitate cost-effective and on-time GSE project builds. You will have the opportunity to leverage your knowledge of materials and fabrication techniques to influence and drive simplicity, manufacturability, operability, and serviceability into mechanical and fluid systems.

SUMMARY

The Lead FGSE Technician is a senior hands-on technical leader responsible for coordinating and executing Ground Support Equipment fabrication, installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and system upgrades supporting rocket production, testing, and launch operations. This role provides daily technical directions to FGSE technicians, establishes work priorities and execution sequence, removes blockers, and ensures work is completed safely, efficiently, and to released engineering requirements.

The Lead remains actively involved in complex mechanical and fluid-system work while serving as the primary technician-level interface between the workforce, Engineering, Test, Launch, Quality, and supervision.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead daily execution of FGSE fabrication, installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, modification, verification, and system-upgrade activities.
• Translate organizational priorities into clear technician assignments and executable daily work. Coordinating Level I, II, and III technicians across simultaneous work scopes.
• Establish work sequence and identify predecessor, successor, and parallel activities. Maintaining awareness of critical-path work and adjusting technician assignments as priorities change.
• Identify material, tooling, engineering, access, manpower, and schedule constraints before they impact execution. Ensuring technicians understand the required end state before beginning work. Verify that work meets established workmanship, cleanliness, configuration, inspection, and documentation requirements before turnover.
• Perform and provide technical direction for complex mechanical and fluid-system fabrication, installation, troubleshooting, repair, and modification.
• Support systems include stainless-steel tubing and piping, valves, regulators, instrumentation, fluid panels, supports, pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems, high-pressure gas systems, cryogenic systems, pumps, and associated GSE hardware.
• Review and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, fabrication drawings, assembly drawings, work instructions, and technical procedures.
• Identify drawing conflicts, constructability concerns, incomplete requirements, or field-condition discrepancies and coordinate resolution with Engineering.
• Provide constructability and operability feedback during design, fabrication, installation, modification, and system verification activities.
• Support pressure-system verification, hydrostatic proof testing, pneumatic testing, leak checking, flushing, cleaning, commissioning, and turnover when trained and qualified.
• Support tubing fabrication, tube bending and routing, compression fittings, process piping, controlled torque, dimensional inspection, rigging, and material-handling activities.
• Troubleshoot complex mechanical and fluid-system problems and determine when Engineering, Quality, EH&S, or supervisory involvement is required.
• Coordinate work across FGSE, MGSE, EGSE, Engineering, Quality, Test, Launch, and other supporting organizations. Ensure JIRA tickets, work logs, photographs, discrepancies, and completion documentation accurately represent completed and incomplete work.
• Monitor assigned work progress and communicate schedule risks, blockers, and changing priorities to supervision. Lead small project teams or focused execution efforts as assigned while remaining an active hands-on technical contributor.
• Identify work that can be prepared, kitted, fabricated, or staged ahead of need.
• Reinforce tool control, FOD prevention, contamination control, PPE, LOTO, pressure-system controls, and applicable safety requirements.
• Exercise and reinforce stop-work authority when technical, quality, or safety requirements are not adequately understood or controlled.
• Mentor and evaluate technicians through hands-on instruction, technical guidance, and professional feedback.
• Support development and improvement of OJT, standard work, procedures, tooling, fabrication methods, work sequence, and work-area organization.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
• 7+ years of relevant hands-on mechanical, aerospace, industrial, fabrication, aviation, military, process-piping, test, launch, or equivalent technical experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical work or coordinating technician teams.
• Advanced experience with mechanical and fluid-system fabrication, installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, or integration.
• Strong ability to read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, fabrication drawings, assembly drawings, and technical procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan and sequence complex technical work.
• Strong mechanical and fluid-system troubleshooting capability.
• Ability to identify technical, material, schedule, and execution blockers before they significantly impact work.
• Strong understanding of workmanship, configuration control, inspection, documentation, and turnover requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop less-experienced technicians.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with technicians, Engineering, Test, Launch, Quality, and leadership.
• Ability to prioritize multiple simultaneous work scopes in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to safe execution and stop-work responsibility.
• Ability to safely lift at least 30 pounds.
• Ability to stand for extended periods and work in industrial, production, test-stand, launch-site, and outdoor environments.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project locations as required.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Associate degree, technical degree, trade qualification, military technical training, or equivalent specialized certification.
• Previous Lead Technician, Senior Technician, GSE Technician, Integration Technician, Test Technician, Fluid Systems Technician, or comparable experience.
• Experience in aerospace GSE, launch operations, propulsion testing, aviation, oil and gas, semiconductor, chemical/process facilities, shipyards, power generation, or industrial construction.
• Advanced stainless-steel tubing and process-piping experience.
• Experience with high-pressure gas, pneumatic, hydraulic, and cryogenic systems.
• Experience with hydrostatic proof testing, pneumatic leak testing, and system verification.
• Experience with oxygen-clean or contamination-controlled fluid systems.
• Familiarity with ASME B31.3 or comparable piping requirements.
• Experience with cranes, rigging, forklifts, telehandlers, aerial lifts, and industrial material handling.
• Experience with JIRA, Confluence, electronic work orders, Microsoft Office, or similar work-management systems.
• Experience developing OJT, standard work, procedures, tooling, or technician training materials.

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