Technical Project Manager II-GSE

Job description

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space. About the Role This is where the future of space infrastructure is built—and you'll be leading the charge. Firefly Aerospace is seeking an exceptional Technical Program Manager to own the execution of our most ambitious capital projects: the test stands, launch sites, and test fixtures that enable our rockets to reach orbit and our spacecraft to land on the Moon. These aren't just construction projects – these projects carry the ambition of Firefly and the United States’ ambitions in space exploration. You’ll be leading a group of engineers from concept to commissioning, racing to complete novel hardware solutions that bring the future to life. Imagine standing on a greenfield site in Texas, knowing that in 12 months, this ground will house a state-of-the-art test stand developing and qualifying the next generation of spaceflight hardware. Or you could be leading execution of the next generation launch site, upgrading it to support rapid-turnaround operations that enable 24-hour notice launches. That's the scale and impact that you'll own. In this role, you'll be both technical arbiter and project leader. When mechanical, electrical, and fluids engineers disagree on the best approach, you'll have the technical depth to evaluate the options and make the call. When a $10M project faces scope creep or schedule pressure, you'll have the PM discipline to hold the line. When an interdisciplinary team needs direction and motivation, you'll provide the leadership that keeps everyone aligned and moving forward. You'll manage multi-million dollar capital programs across greenfield and brownfield sites—building brand new test infrastructure from the ground up and modernizing existing facilities to meet tomorrow's demands. This isn't program management from behind a desk. You'll be on-site during critical milestones, working alongside engineers and construction teams. You'll review and challenge technical requirements, review and approve P&IDs, proposed operations, and electrical schematics. You'll evaluate structural calculations and make technical trade-offs to get the job done. And when your test stand fires for the first time or your launch site supports its first mission, you'll know that your technical leadership and relentless execution made it happen. If you're a technical leader who thrives on complex challenges, loves building large-scale infrastructure, and wants to see your projects directly enable humanity's expansion into space, this is your opportunity. Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Engineering Management: Serve as the technical arbiter for resolving engineering differences and design conflicts during project design cycles across mechanical, electrical, fluids, structures, and controls disciplines Lead interdisciplinary engineering teams (3-10 engineers) through technical analysis and trade evaluation Evaluate competing design approaches using engineering judgment, analysis, and cost-benefit trade studies Review and approve technical deliverables including calculations, drawings, models, and specifications Ensure design decisions align with project requirements, safety standards, and operational objectives Work with technical teams to challenge, define, and manage technical requirements for project execution Drive technical reviews including preliminary design reviews (PDR), critical design reviews (CDR), and operational readiness reviews (ORR) Challenge engineering assumptions and push teams toward optimal solutions that balance performance, cost, and schedule Capital Project Management: Own end-to-end execution of major capital projects ($1M - $20M+) for test fixtures, test stands, and launch sites across multiple launch vehicle and spacecraft programs Manage greenfield (new construction) and brownfield (upgrades/modifications) infrastructure projects, with a primary focus on driving schedule & using best engineering judgement to improve the team’s speed-to-the-ball Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans including scope, schedule, budget, and resource allocation Control project scope rigorously, managing change requests and preventing scope creep Track project budgets and manage a continuous spend forecast, reporting and escalating variances/overages in schedule or budget with leadership Develop and manage project schedules focusing on critical path management and resource loading. Work with the