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Salary: USD 181,913 - 232,444 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems and reentry capsules. The company designs and operates its W-Series vehicles end-to-end, including payloads, capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses.
As Principal Mechanisms Engineer on the Payload team, you will define and lead the development of complex electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, survives hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for inspection and iteration. You will shape payload architecture across pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions, guiding systems from early concept through detailed design, integration, testing, launch, and recovery.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define architecture, requirements, and development plans for multi-payload or multi-mission systems
- Lead complex mechanism and electromechanical subsystem design efforts
- Drive system-level analyses, trade studies, and risk reduction using hand calculations, Python/MATLAB models, FEA, and other tools
- Lead cross-functional project teams spanning avionics, software, thermal, systems, and integration disciplines
- Represent Varda to senior internal leadership and external partners
- Drive subsystem requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), verification plans, and technical documentation
- Lead build, integration, testing, mission operations, recovery, and anomaly resolution
- Guide lessons-learned processes and influence payload development cycles
- Mentor senior and entry-level engineers and shape best practices
You will work closely with internal leadership and external partners, translating mission needs into engineering strategy and technical direction. This role is ideal for engineers with deep mechanical expertise, broad cross-disciplinary insight, and the ability to influence system architecture, lead multi-mission efforts, and mentor engineers while delivering complex hardware on rapid flight timelines.
Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. The company was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov and is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Basic Requirements:
- BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related field
- 7+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
- Deep mechanical expertise with breadth in at least two adjacent disciplines (avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, etc.)
- Track record leading teams through full cycle electromechanical space flight hardware development
- Experience communicating with diverse technical and executive audiences, both internal and external
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- 3+ years of cross-functional project leadership experience
- Significant experience planning and executing aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
- Experience leading government-facing technical programs
- Active Secret or Top Secret clearance
ITAR Requirement: Must be a "US person" (U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or individual admitted as refugee/granted asylum) due to access to export-controlled items.
