Propulsion Engineer II/III - Alpha Turbopumps

At Firefly, we’re focused on making space attainable for everyone – including you! Each team member’s passion, dedication, and innovative ideas have a direct impact on fueling our successful trajectory into space. And there’s no shortage of meaningful projects to work on at Firefly. With launch, lunar, and orbital vehicles, Firefly has a diverse line of business with opportunities to get hands‑on experience launching rockets, operating in space, and landing on the Moon. Our missions are powered by our incredible team ... Our missions are powered by our incredible team ... 866 12 What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family? ... What does SciTec bring to the Firefly family? ... 236 0 Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ... Peep our Elytra orbiter being assembled in the ... 721 3 Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ... Start your week with another Manufacturing Minute! ... 439 13 This World Space Week, remember to look up and ... This World Space Week, remember to look up and ... The engine powering Alpha's first stage is truly ... The engine powering Alpha's first stage is truly ... 848 4 Our Values Headquartered in the Lone Star State, Firefly’s hardworking team reflects Texas’ GO BIG culture in everything we do. We build big, achieve big, and dream big. We’re building launch vehicles and spacecraft to provide rapid, reliable space access. We’ve achieved some incredible wins, including the first successful commercial Moon landing. And we’re dreaming bigger than this planet with ambitions to Mars, Venus, and beyond. Our core values are what drive us along the way. Passion Fireflies believe in perseverance, responsiveness, and mentoring others with a focus on inspiring a better future. Accountability Fireflies act with integrity and take ownership of our actions, commitments, decisions, and outcomes. Fireflies work in alignment across teams and communicate clearly with mutual respect for one another. Fireflies deliver high-quality work through technical rigor and timely disciplined execution for our customers. We take care of our Fireflies with some of the best benefits in the industry. Our mission to make space for everyone starts with our employees and allowing them to make space for their family, their career, and their future. Space for You Unlimited PTO for exempt employees 3-month sabbatical for every 5 years of service Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance Mental health services Paid military leave Space for Your Family 12 weeks paid maternity leave 4 weeks paid spouse leave $20k towards family planning: fertility, surrogacy, adoption Dog friendly workplace Space for Your Career $10k/year towards trade school or college Ongoing coaching to advance leadership skills Employee-ownership with stock bonuses 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) matching $10k bonus for home purchase in Cedar Park, Texas Job Openings From launch technicians to propulsion engineers, Firefly has open roles across the company. We’re looking for passionate, bright innovators to join our team and help make space an achievable dream for everyone. Propulsion Engineer II/III - Alpha Turbopumps Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space. About the Role The Alpha Engines team is responsible for the design, integration, and operation of the Reaver and Lightning engines that power the first and second stages of Firefly's Alpha launch vehicle. As the Turbopump Assembly Responsible Engineer, you will own turbomachinery hardware across its full lifecycle — requirements definition, design, analysis, development, test, qualification, and flight. You will lead the design and analysis efforts of the hardware, collaborate with fabrication and integration teams to manufacture and assemble the system, and support testing and flight operations. You will serve as a turbomachinery subject matter expert for the Alpha Engines team and provide an active voice in engine development, test campaigns, and launch operations. This role requires deep technical knowledge of rotating machinery, extreme ownership of hardware from concept to flight, and clear communication with cross-functional partners including propulsion, structures, avionics, and vehicle systems. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who enjoys challenging assumptions, thrives in a fast-paced development environment, and seeks to make impactful contributions to Firefly's mission. Responsibilities Demonstrate full ownership of turbopump hardware through the full product life cycle Own the fluid and mechanical design of turbopump components to meet operational requirements Lead design improvement efforts emphasizing reliability and manufacturability upgrades Drive all analyses for turbopump hardware for including fluid, structural, thermal, and dynamic Develop and maintain first-principles tools and models to predict turbopump performance and operability Own tolerance stackups, and design databooks; collaborate with manufacturing and quality to ensure assembled turbopumps meet design intent Plan, coordinate, and execute component and assembly development, qualification, and acceptance testing — defining test configurations and procedures, supporting execution, and leading data review and anomaly resolution Author and present design review, test readiness, and data review presentations to internal and external stakeholders Identify system‑level risks, perform trade studies, and drive decisions based on technical merit, risk, cost, schedule, and quality to ensure successful engine and vehicle operation Provide hands‑on support for turbopump and engine manufacturing and assembly and assist dispositioning of non‑conformances and drive corrective actions Lead development of innovative design concepts that reduce complexity, part count, cost, and lead time while maximizing reliability within program constraints Serve as the turbomachinery representative for Alpha engine testing, stage testing, and launch operations Qualifications Required B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline Level II, 3+ years experience. Level III, 6+ years experience. Fundamental understanding of rotating machinery Strong understanding of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and solid mechanics Deep knowledge of engineering fundamentals and a demonstrated history of applying first principles to arrive at simple, robust solutions Hands‑on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testing Proven experience with CAD and configuration management tools (Siemens NX and Teamcenter preferred), including management of large assemblies, and comprehension of GD&T, tolerancing, and ASME Y14.5 Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, GFSSP, or other control, data acquisition, and reduction software Working knowledge of manufacturing and inspection methods relevant to turbomachinery (precision machining, castings/forgings, additive manufacturing, welding, assembly, and NDT) Excellent problem‑solving, communication, and technical writing skills Proven ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirements Desired Qualifications Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent field 5+ years of experience developing turbomachinery for launch vehicle, spacecraft, or liquid rocket engine propulsion systems Demonstrated experience with full hardware lifecycle ownership, from blank-sheet design through full operation Experience designing, analyzing, developing, or testing turbomachinery or other rotating equipment (rocket turbopumps, gas turbines, compressors, industrial pumps, etc.) Specialized depth in one or more of: pump/inducer hydrodynamic design, turbine aero‑mechanical design, rotordynamics, bearing design, or seal design Experience with secondary flow and axial thrust balance modeling, meanline analysis, and cavitation performance prediction and mitigation Proficiency with industry analysis tools such as ANSYS (CFX, Fluent, Mechanical, thermal), StarCCM+, BladeGen, Concepts NREC, or rotordynamics software (e.g., XLRotor; SAFE and Campbell diagrams) In‑depth knowledge of cryogenic, high‑pressure, or high‑temperature system operations and compatible material selection Experience with design for manufacturability of turbomachinery components Experience with dynamic/spin balancing and turbopump assembly, integration, and acceptance procedures Experience with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, flow meters, load cells, and accelerometers Experience reducing the complexity of large integrated assemblies to reduce part count, cost, and lead time Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Firefly Aerospace, Inc.