HSE Engineer III Manufacturing

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACE

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.

SUMMARY

The HSE Specialist III serves as a senior technical authority responsible for leading environmental, health, and safety initiatives supporting manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, integration, and production operations at Firefly Aerospace’s Briggs, Texas facility.

This role provides strategic oversight and technical guidance for high-hazard manufacturing environments involving machining, welding, composites, hazardous materials, pressure systems, cryogenics, energized equipment, industrial automation, and aerospace production processes. The HSE Specialist III partners closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Facilities, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to ensure safe and compliant execution of manufacturing operations while supporting aggressive production schedules and operational goals.

The position is responsible for driving operational risk reduction, regulatory compliance, emergency preparedness, and continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations. This individual will lead hazard analyses, oversee contractor and operational safety compliance, and ensure safety requirements are integrated into manufacturing processes, equipment installations, and operational procedures.

This role is expected to operate with minimal supervision, mentor junior HSE personnel, influence organizational safety culture, and serve as a key safety partner supporting Firefly’s fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The facility is located in Briggs, Texas.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead development, implementation, and continuous improvement of HSE programs supporting aerospace manufacturing and production operations.
• Serve as the senior HSE subject matter expert for manufacturing activities involving machining, welding, composites, hazardous chemicals, pressure systems, cryogenics, robotics, energized systems, and industrial equipment.
• Conduct and facilitate Job Hazard Analyses (JHA), ergonomic assessments, risk assessments, and operational safety reviews for manufacturing processes and equipment.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Facilities teams to ensure safety requirements are incorporated into production lines, tooling, equipment modifications, facility expansions, and automation systems.
• Support safe manufacturing and handling operations involving aerospace structures, propulsion hardware, pressure systems, composites, and hazardous materials.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, corrective action development, and lessons learned implementation for manufacturing safety, environmental, and operational events.
• Support Management of Change (MOC) processes for manufacturing systems, hazardous materials, equipment changes, and operational modifications.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing safety procedures, safe work practices, lockout/tagout procedures, and emergency response plans.
• Provide HSE oversight for welding, hot work, confined space entry, hazardous material handling, compressed g