Vehicle Integration Engineering Manager

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

Firefly Aerospace Inc. is an American end-to-end space transportation company committed to providing economical and convenient access to space for small payloads through the design, manufacture, and operation of reliable launch and spacecraft vehicles. Firefly�s launch vehicles utilize common technologies, manufacturing infrastructure, and launch capabilities, providing LEO launch solutions for up to ten metric tons of payload. Combined with Firefly�s in-space vehicles, such as the Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Firefly provides the space industry with a single source for missions from LEO to the surface of the Moon or beyond. Firefly is headquartered in Cedar Park, TX. *This role is located at our manufacturing facility in Briggs, TX.

SUMMARY

The Vehicle Integration Manger leads the team of engineers that are responsible for all the assembly engineering and process development for stage level integration for our Alpha Vehicle. Individuals who will be successful in this role need to have a diverse set of skills, ranging from a strong foundation in large scale assembly project management all the way down to seal selection and pre-load requirements for a given joint assembly. This is very much a working manager role.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive continuous process development and improvement with the aim of radically increasing production rate and substantially reducing cost
• Work closely with the Materials Management team(s) to manage assembly build schedule and constantly improve accuracy by collecting and processing relevant data
• Establish and implement standards for tooling and fixturing design, review, and commissioning
• Participate in design reviews to drive design-for-manufacturing initiatives and implement lessons learned
• Works closely with the Program, Engineering, Test, GSE, Structures and other key departments on a frequent basis
• Write and execute vehicle assembly procedures, vehicle propulsion checkouts (including leak checks and pressurized operations), and electrical system functional validation processes.
• Design high level vehicle assembly architecture/flow, maintain and report progress on current builds, including stage 1, stage 2, and payload assemblies.
• Cascade daily needs and progress for the large scale assemblies, driving the team and company to a quicker pace.
• Forecast capacity needs and long-term projects to achieve company goals in a scrappy manner
• Work with fabrication teams to develop a floor layout and product flow to efficiently deliver against company needs
• Own corrective actions and design for manufacturing feedback loop for the designated stage
• Generate and maintain vehicle assembly schedules, including assembly ECD�s and progress reports, and lead after action reviews.
• Work with design and tooling engineers to develop and/or design vehicle assembly, checkout, and pressurization tooling.
• Collaborate with technicians and responsible engineers to ensure product quality and timelines are maintained and met
• Teach and train others to assist with assembly and integration
• Collaborate with engineering staff and technicians to resolve technical challenges swiftly.
• Work closely with designers, analysts, and responsible engineers to identify, disposition, and close issues and non-conformances for mechanical, electrical, and structural systems. Perform root cause analysis and drive further actions to improve build quality.
• Ensure BOM of designed assemblies is fulfilled and properly planned, including procurement and feasibility evaluation.
• Create work instructions and set the cadence for integration tasks.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor�s degree in Engineering or related technical field
• 8+ years� experience manufacturing complex assemblies or tools
• Proven experience leading teams
• Able to read and interpret technical drawings and assembly instructions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey methodologies for assembly and troubleshooting
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills � Must be a team player
• Ability to thrive in high stakes, stressful, short deadline environments
• Experience with modern manufacturing principles, such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, etc.
• Experience with complex system assembly and hands on build experience preferably in space systems or aerospace applications
• Experience with writing assembly procedures or documentation for mechanical, electrical, or structural systems
• Experience writing test plans, procedures and identifying pass/fail criteria on systems.
• Experience using CAD and FEA-based analysis software

Desired

• Knowledge of data analysis packages (Python/high level Excel) preferred

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, pet Insurance, 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.