Senior Systems Engineer

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.

Position Summary:

Firefly is looking for a highly skilled and motivated Senior Systems Engineer to join our team supporting the design, deployment, and management of cutting-edge infrastructure systems across on-premises and cloud environments. This role is critical in enabling scalable, resilient, and secure computing environments through virtualization, containerization, and automation tools to support Firefly’s launch and spacecraft operations.

The successful candidate will have deep expertise in Linux systems, server/storage infrastructure, and automation, with a strong emphasis on hybrid-cloud service integration and infrastructure-as-code practices.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, implement and manage Linux-based server infrastructure and networked storage systems to deliver 24x7x365 uptime service
• Architect, implement, and support virtualized infrastructure (e.g. VMware, ProxMox, Hyper-V) to support development, test, and operational deployments.
• Design, build, and manage Mission Operation Control Centers (MOCCs) in support of spacecraft command, telemetry, and data processing.
• Provide technical support to spacecraft operations teams throughout all phases of a mission, including pre-launch, launch, and on-orbit operations.
• Collaborate with aerospace engineers and mission planners to ensure systems are optimized for operational needs and mission success.
• Manage and optimize enterprise storage platforms, including SAN, NAS, and object storage systems (e.g., NetApp, Dell EMC, Ceph).
• Deploy and maintain infrastructure using Ansible, scripting languages (e.g., Bash, Python), and automation best practices.
• Build and support Kubernetes clusters (on-premise or hybrid cloud) for hosting containerized applications.
• Monitor infrastructure performance, troubleshoot issues, and ensure system uptime and availability.
• Develop and maintain documentation for system configurations, procedures, and mission support protocols.
• Provide input on ways to improve the stability, security, efficiency, and scalability of the environment.
• Lead and provide governance over assigned projects and responsibilities
• Collaborate with other IT teams and team members to develop automation strategies and deployment processes
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks based on dynamic business needs.
• Rotational after-hours support with 24/7 pager duty

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, infrastructure operations, or related roles with a focus on high-availability environments
• Strong expertise in Linux systems administration, virtualization, and container technologies.
• Hands-on experience with Enterprise Server and Storage Solutions
• Strong scripting skills in Bash, Python, or similar languages.
• Strong understanding of networking, system security, and monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana).
• Excellent troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills.
• Ability to work in cross-functional teams and interface effectively with aerospace engineering staff and mission controllers.
• Create, update and maintain Standard Operating Procedure and knowledge base documentation for software deployment, imaging and patching

Desired

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• Experience deploying and managing hyperconverged infrastructure platforms.
• Proficient with infrastructure automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).
• Experience with automation/configuration management using Puppet, Chef or an equivalent.
• Ability to use a wide variety of open source technologies and cloud services

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.