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Salary: USD 140,333 - 179,314 / annual
Varda Space Industries is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable reentry capsules. The company designs, builds, and operates its W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, C-PICA heat shields, and satellite buses. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, CA, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
The Senior Mission Operations Engineer is an experienced spacecraft operator who will develop, coordinate, execute, and lead Varda's on-orbit missions. This role owns the full operations development cycle for mission-unique payloads, from mission profile creation through execution. You will work cross-functionally across the company to continuously improve mission operations and ensure mission success. The role includes automating and eliminating operational burden by building web tools and scaling Varda's operational capabilities to support growing flight cadence.
This is a hands-on leadership position in a startup environment where you will have full ownership of on-orbit operations for the Winnie Spaceship and the opportunity to mold a unique new mission framework for space operations. You will be an exceptional communicator and adept leader capable of applying cross-discipline engineering to bespoke solutions.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, preferably Aerospace, Electrical, or Computer Science
- 5+ years of experience in a real-time operations role on a complex and high-consequence operation
- 3+ years of experience developing software tools in Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML
- Familiarity with Avionics, GNC, Software, and Thermal design practices for spacecraft
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- 5+ years of experience with spacecraft systems
- Previous operator experience in a leadership role
- Previous in-orbit spacecraft operations experience
- Previous experience with Git and Atlassian products
- Familiarity with ground station networks
Note: This position requires U.S. person status (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to access to export-controlled items.
