COTS RE (Components Off the Shelf Responsible Engineer)
Firefly Aerospace
ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE
As an end-to-end space transportation company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the surface of 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.
SUMMARY
At Firefly, we believe that building a reliable and inexpensive launch vehicle requires the most reliable, production efficient fluid components available. On the fluid components team, we design, build, and test high-performance, precision fluid components tailored to the specific needs of our launch, land and orbit product lines. Our team of responsible engineers own their products for the entire product lifecycle; from initial conception through qualification and handoff to the production team.
About the Role
We are seeking an entry to mid-level engineer to join our Propulsion Components team with a focus on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) fluid components. This highly cross-functional role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and supporting critical fluid hardware used across our product lines, including solenoid valves, check valves, servo valves, burst disks, accumulators, inline filters, and actuators.
This engineer will identify and select applicable COTS hardware based on system-level design requirements, lead development & qualification testing efforts, and support the life cycle of the hardware as the responsible engineer. Strong communication and documentation skills are critical for success in this role, as the engineer will be the key liaison between multiple technical and supply chain teams.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Define engineering requirements and clearly document specifications for COTS fluid components in collaboration with fluid systems and subsystem teams.
- Author and maintain detailed qualification test plans, acceptance test plans, and development test plans.
- Oversee and support all in-house test campaigns, ensuring thorough data collection and accurate test methods
- Interpret and document test data to ensure test objectives are met and communicate results to necessary stakeholders.
- Maintain healthy relationships with vendors to identify issues and ensure continuous project progression.
- Prepare comprehensive, concise, and well-organized qualification test reports that effectively communicate results and engineering justifications to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain critical documentation such as engineering equivalency lists, qualification status trackers, and supplier databases.
- Identify alternative sources for components to build supply chain resiliency and consolidate COTS solutions across product lines.
- Serve as the primary point-of-contact for production acceptance test plans (ATPs), subsystem ATPs, and launch/mission failure investigations, ensuring clear communication across teams.
- Collaborate closely with fluid systems, supply chain, manufacturing, and test teams through consistent and effective communication to support successful integration of COTS hardware.
- Maintain project execution schedules for your projects.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
- 0–4 years of relevant engineering experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to author detailed technical documentation and reports.
- Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail in managing complex documentation and tracking systems.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
- Experience with test plan development, data interpretation, and reporting.
- Familiarity with valve sizing calculations and general fluid components is preferred.
- Ability and willingness to learn CAD tools and work with PLM systems.
Desired
- Experience or exposure to engineering design, manufacturing engineering, systems engineering, applications engineering, or project management.
- Prior involvement with fluid control components in aerospace or other high-reliability industries is beneficial.
What We Value
- High autonomy and initiative in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and sound engineering judgment, especially in justifying hardware use beyond rated environments and analyzing failure modes.
- Comfort working independently and collaboratively across diverse technical teams.
- Mission-driven mindset and adaptability to rapidly shifting priorities.
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.