Propulsion Analyst (Engine Performance)

Company: Firefly Aerospace
Location: Cedar Park
Posted on: March 16, 2023

Job Description:

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

Firefly Aerospace Inc. ("Firefly") is an American end-to-end space transportation company committed to providing economical and convenient access to space for small payloads through the design, manufacture, and operations of reliable launch and spacecraft vehicles. Firefly's launch vehicles utilize common technologies, manufacturing infrastructure, and launch capabilities, providing LEO launch solutions for up to ten metric tons of payload. Combined with Firefly's in-space vehicles, such as the Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Firefly provides the space industry with a single source for missions from LEO to the surface of the Moon or beyond. Firefly is headquartered in Cedar Park, TX.

SUMMARY

Firefly seeks a highly talented Propulsion Analysis Engineer to join our growing analysis team. As a Propulsion Analyst you will use your expert knowledge in fluids, thermal, and propulsion analysis to verify and influence designs of component and systems-level propulsion hardware to develop our engine performance models. This role will play a key part in this group by contributing to the overall development of the propulsion simulation infrastructure. Propulsion analysts are involved throughout the engineering process and therefore require excellent interdisciplinary communication skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform detailed steady state and pseudo-steady state propulsion system analysis.
• Work closely with multi-disciplinary propulsion and systems engineering teams to define the operating conditions and control systems of Firefly's engines.
• Responsible for data reduction activities to characterize propulsion system performance with an emphasis on automating several portions of this workflow.
• Develop well documented codes or procedures for performing thermal and fluid analysis, and postprocessing analyses and test results.
• Responsible for updating and correlating models based on test and flight data.
• Evaluate analytical and test results to quantify sensitivities and uncertainties, calibrate simulations, and develop design recommendations.
• Maintain and report on activity, schedule, and technical status.
• Document analysis and test for review by responsible engineers, peers, customers, and launch authorities.
• Responsible for reviewing the analysis of peers and mentor less experienced engineers.
• Work with responsible engineers to determine instrumentation setup for testing and contribute to the creation of test plans. QUALIFICATIONS
  
  Required
  • BS degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering or related field and 3+ years of experience in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
  • 2+ years of experience in an engineering software environment.
  • Proficient in the physics of bipropellant rocket engines, including compressible and incompressible flow, thermodynamics, multiphase flow, chemical kinetics, mechanics, and transient phenomena.
  • Programming experience with at least one compiled computer language (preferably FORTRAN or C/C++) and one interpreted language (preferably Python or MATLAB) for model development and scripting.
  • Experience in data reduction and model validation techniques with engine test data.
  • Familiarity with modeling in both Unix and Windows environments, as well as with source code control systems such as Bitbucket. Desired
    • MS/PhD degree in aerospace, mechanical, or software engineering and/or 5+ years of experience.
    • Experience with ROCCID, RTE, CEA, TDK, SINDA/FLUINT, ROCETS, GFSSP, or equivalent and general industry-standard propulsion design and analysis codes.
    • Experience writing unit and end-to-end testing for software
    • Experience in analysis of aircraft or space vehicles during all phases of conceptual design through flight.
    • Familiarity with parametric optimization techniques.
    • Knowledge of statistical principles (Monte Carlo, regression, Kalman filtering).
    • Experience with database development and management.
      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.

Keywords: Firefly Aerospace, Cedar Park , Propulsion Analyst (Engine Performance), Professions , Cedar Park, Texas