ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

As an end-to-end responsive space company, Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Our small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles allow us to service the entire lifecycle of government and commercial missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. We utilize carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies, and common components across our vehicles to iterate quickly, improve reliability, and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

SUMMARY

The Manager of Materials & Processes Engineering leads one of the most technically diverse and high-impact teams at Firefly. This leader guides engineers working across metallics, composites, additive manufacturing, coatings, joining processes, and failure analysis. This team supports all Firefly vehicles, Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles. A successful candidate excels in materials engineering, technical decision-making, mentorship, and cross-functional leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Lead and develop a multidisciplinary M&P engineering team, providing technical direction and mentorship.

· Own materials selection, characterization, qualification, and process definition for structures, propulsion hardware, composites, and flight-critical components.

· Establish and maintain process specifications, material allowables, and standards across Engineering, Production, and Test.

· Partner with design, manufacturing, and test organizations to resolve non-conformances and drive root-cause investigations.

· Oversee destructive and nondestructive testing campaigns and materials database development.

· Provide M&P leadership during major design reviews and risk assessments.

· Drive continuous improvement in materials, processes, cost, and manufacturability.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

· Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.

· 8+ years of experience in M&P engineering, materials development, or manufacturing processes.

· Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring engineers.

· Strong working knowledge of metallics, composites, polymers, adhesives, coatings, corrosion, heat treatment, and failure analysis.

· Experience supporting production and test environments.

Desired

· Experience with propulsion materials, cryogenic compatibility, fracture mechanics, weld metallurgy, and additive manufacturing.

· Experience developing allowables or building materials databases.

· Familiarity with NDI/NDT techniques.

· Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.

· Experience in aerospace or new-space environments.

· Master’s degree or PhD in Materials Science or related field.

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, 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.