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Salary: USD 120,000 - 150,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is a commercial space infrastructure company building in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company is backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund, with leadership from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharma companies.
The Manager, Payables & Spend Operations role owns Varda's entire spend cycle—from vendor payments to corporate card management to expense and travel operations. This is a hands-on position that sits at the intersection of Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Pharma Operations.
Key Responsibilities:
Accounts Payable: Own end-to-end AP including invoice intake, coding, PO matching, approval routing, and posting in Business Central. Run the payment cycle (ACH, wire, check) with dual-approval controls. Manage month-end close, accruals, subledger reconciliation, CIP tracking, balance sheet coding, and fixed asset handoffs for capital and engineering spend. Maintain vendor master data, 1099 readiness, and open invoice/receiver queues.
Supply Chain Partnership: Serve as Finance's counterpart on procure-to-pay flow, including PO structure, receiving, inspection holds, and three-way match. Develop deep understanding of hardware and pharma R&D spend (spacecraft components, machined parts, lab reagents, blanket POs) to code accurately without escalation. Bring aging and exception data to Supply Chain to drive evidence-based fixes.
Corporate Card, Travel & Expense: Own the corporate card program including provisioning, limits, policy, compliance, and month-end GL coding. Operate employee expense reimbursement and lead the stand-up of a formal travel program.
Controls, Systems & Team: Write and maintain AP, card, and T&E policies. Own audit support and cost pool accuracy across pharma and defense operations. Build spend visibility and automate coding, matching, and exception handling. Lead and develop a small AP team with clear ownership, cross-training, and documented workflows.
This is a full-time, exempt position based in El Segundo, CA, with offices also in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
Requirements:
- 7+ years in accounts payable or procure-to-pay; 2+ years managing people
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field, or equivalent experience
- At least one full-cycle implementation of an AP, spend, or expense platform (Ramp, Coupa, Concur, Navan, or similar)
- Hands-on experience with CIP, capital projects, and fixed asset handoffs in a manufacturing or hardware environment
- Working knowledge of PO-based purchasing, three-way match, and an ERP (Business Central, NetSuite, SAP, or similar)
- Solid understanding of AP-adjacent accounting: accruals, prepaids, inventory receipts, and project cost tracking
- Proven ability to run a high-volume operation accurately while rebuilding it
- Strong cross-functional communication skills; comfortable in a lean, fast-moving environment
Preferred Experience:
- Aerospace, defense, hardware, or pharmaceutical/life sciences background (experience across multiple domains especially valued)
- Familiarity with U.S. Government contracting requirements (FAR/DFARS, DCAA cost pools)
- Ramp administration and ERP integration experience
- Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Experience standing up a corporate travel program
- Startup or high-growth environment experience
Note: ITAR requirements apply. Candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).
