Ground Support Equipment Lead

About Firefly

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.

Role Summary
The GSE Lead Technician owns daily execution within the GSE workcenter. This role directs technicians across multiple parallel assignments while ensuring safety, quality, productivity, and standard operating procedures are met. The Lead serves as the primary operational interface between technicians, Supervisor, Engineering, and support organizations, and is accountable for execution discipline, coordination, and measurable workcenter performance.

Key Responsibilities

Daily Execution & Work Coordination

• Direct technicians in the execution of multiple concurrent work tickets supporting test, launch, and facility operations.
• Review, sequence, and assign work prior to start of shift to optimize throughput and resource utilization.
• Drive shift execution through structured BOS and EOS tag ups.
• Monitor active work for schedule adherence, technical accuracy, and procedural compliance.
• Provide real time visibility to Supervisor on workcenter capacity, constraints, and forecasted demand.

Performance, Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze work trends impacting safety, quality, schedule, or throughput and initiate corrective actions.
• Coordinate resolution of execution inefficiencies with Engineering, Inventory, and Supervisor.
• Escalate documented individual performance deficiencies to the Supervisor with objective data.
• Maintain a two-week lookahead to proactively identify material, tooling, documentation, or engineering gaps.
• Enforce adherence to approved work instructions, operations, and standard work practices.

Metrics, Reporting & Team Development

• Own workcenter KPIs include productivity rate, ticket aging, and throughput performance.
• Deliver consistent KPI reporting and recommend adjustments based on operational data.
• Provide structured OJT and technical mentorship to technicians.
• Assess technician proficiency and communicate development needs to the Supervisor.

Safety & Compliance

• Enforce safe work practices and compliance with all applicable procedures and environmental requirements.
• Own documentation, tracking, and closure of workcenter safety findings and corrective actions in coordination with EHS.
• Stop unsafe work immediately when conditions are warranted.

Tool Control, Inventory & 5S

• Own execution of tool control and consumable inventory management within the workcenter.
• Validate daily tool accountability audits and initiate recovery actions for discrepancies.
• Ensure work areas, tooling, and storage locations always remain 5S compliant and audit ready.

Risk & Escalation Management

• Identify operational risks, schedule impacts, and technical blockers outside Lead authority.
• Escalate issues promptly with recommended mitigation paths.

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.