Director of Mechanical Engineering

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 The Director of Mechanical Engineering owns delivery of qualified, reliable, flight-ready structures across Firefly launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will provide leadership and technical authority for all aspects of structural design, analysis, and architecture, with ultimate responsibility for performance, reliability, and scalability. This is a hands-on leadership position that spans the full hardware lifecycle—from early concept and design, through manufacturing, integration, test, and flight. You will build and lead a high-performing structures team, mentoring and developing engineers while driving execution discipline across design, analysis, build, test, and fleet reliability. Success in this role means ensuring structural solutions are technically sound, manufacturable, and delivered on schedule—through close collaboration with Propulsion, Avionics/Software, Manufacturing/Test, Quality/Reliability, Supply Chain, and Programs. RESPONSIBILITIES Provide vision and leadership for the design, development, manufacturing, and integration of all structural aspects of Firefly’s vehicles. Lead, mentor, and manage a multi-discipline team of engineers and technicians, including Responsible Engineers (REs), ensuring professional development and performance accountability. Serve as chief architect of integrated airframe and tank structures, driving major design trades, reviews, and decisions. Establish and maintain department standards, processes, and documentation, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and internal best practices. Define and manage budget, headcount, schedules, and deliverables for the Structures Engineering department. Oversee hardware development, qualification test definitions, and acceptance criteria. Coordinate and align closely with program leadership to ensure structural milestones support program priorities and company objectives. Build and maintain supplier and subcontractor relationships to ensure quality and timely delivery of structural components. Support cross-functional collaboration with Mechanical, Propulsion, Avionics, and Production teams to optimize workflow and resolve conflicts. Address high-level design issues, solve complex problems, and ensure designs are technically feasible and manufacturable. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance engineering quality, reliability, cost efficiency, and lead-time reduction. QUALIFICATIONS Required 10+ years in aerospace structures (launch vehicles or spacecraft) with 5+ years leading teams that delivered flight hardware. B.S. in Aerospace, Mechanical, or related field. Demonstrated ownership of structural design/analysis and qualification test through flight. Proficiency in FEM and hand analysis; materials/allowables; fracture/mechanisms fundamentals; test planning and data reduction. Track record as a player-coach: hands-on design/analysis/test involvement while leading teams to delivery. Experience running change control, nonconformance, and configuration management at speed. Desired 15+ years of professional experience in structures or mechanical engineering. Leadership of multi-program or multi-site structures organizations. Hands-on composites manufacturing and testing oversight experience. Experience designing structures for cryogenic environments. Experience with high-rate production, reusability, and post-flight teardown/failure analysis. Experience with aerospace standard structural analysis methods (Bruhn, Niu, Roark, Shigley’s, etc.). Familiarity with AS9100, NASA/DoD standards, and human-rating or CLPS-class rigor.