Firefly Aerospace
Mechanical Engineer III - Payload
Cedar Park, TX · Full-time · Posted Oct 20, 2026
- Experience
- 6+ years required; desired qualification offers an alternative of a relevant M.S. or PhD, or 8+ years designing, analyzing, and qualifying mechanical mechanisms.
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering field.
- Visa sponsorship
- Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
About the job
Designs, analyzes, develops, and qualifies payload hardware and spacecraft mechanical interfaces for Firefly’s Alpha Launch Vehicle.
What you'll do
- Own development of payload hardware and customer spacecraft interfaces, from design through qualification and acceptance.
- Create and manage CAD, drawings, and documentation; perform or guide structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses.
- Lead testing and support manufacturing, integration, customer fit checks, and resolution of hardware issues.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering field.
- 6+ years designing, analyzing, and qualifying hardware for aerospace applications or high-reliability systems.
- Experience with flight-critical structures or mechanisms, extreme-environment testing, and carbon fiber and metallic structures.
- Proficiency with FEA and classical hand calculations; understanding of loads and dynamics for primary structures.
Nice to have
- M.S. or PhD in a related discipline, or 8+ years of relevant experience.
- Launch vehicle or spacecraft program experience, customer-facing technical work, or familiarity with listed industry standards.
Tools
CAD, FEA, Ansys, Femap, AIAA S-114, GEVS
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative