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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 satellite buses, heat shields, and processing payloads. Varda is backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund, with leadership from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharmaceutical companies.
As Senior Propulsion Engineer – Hardware and Bus Systems, you will be a hands-on technical owner of the propulsion subsystem and propulsion hardware across Varda's fleet of satellite buses. You will maintain the spacecraft propulsion system technical baseline, including P&IDs and system-level documentation. Your responsibilities include designing, analyzing, and testing satellite bus propulsion flight hardware and components; identifying opportunities and executing propulsion system block upgrades on operational vehicles to increase reliability and cadence; and helping define requirements and high-level propulsion architecture for future vehicles.
You will generate propulsion performance analysis products and document key requirements (propellant budgets, pressure ladders, fluid component sizing, structural and thermal limits) and deliver them as inputs to GNC, Mission Operations, Thermal, and other cross-disciplinary teams. You will build Python scripts and spreadsheet tools to automate recurring analysis and test data reduction workflows. Your technical responsibilities include executing detailed mechanical design of propulsion hardware and fluid system components, performing structural analysis using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools, and authoring and reviewing design documentation, engineering specs, build/integration/test procedures, and engineering memos.
Operational duties include sitting on console for in-flight propulsion operations, serving as a technical authority to disposition hardware nonconformances, leading anomaly investigations, and driving corrective actions to improve quality across the organization. You will mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical reviewer for analysis products, design packages, and external deliverables. Your work will directly influence the development of future vehicles and capabilities key to Varda's growth. You will thrive in a fast-moving environment, taking full ownership of your systems and raising the technical bar for everyone around you.
**Requirements:**
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline; equivalent professional experience considered (typically 3–6+ years)
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in propulsion or fluid systems definition, design, build, and test for spacecraft or launch vehicles
- Deep working knowledge of flight fluid system hardware: pressurized components, tubing, fittings, seals, valves, and instrumentation
- Proficiency reading and authoring P&IDs
- Proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., CATIA, SolidWorks, NX) and PLM software
- Experience authoring and executing operational procedures for ground test or flight campaigns, including console operations
- Demonstrated ability to drive anomaly investigations and technical problems to resolution across organizational boundaries
**Preferred Skills and Experience:**
- 6+ years of spacecraft or launch vehicle propulsion experience, including satellite bus-level propulsion architectures (monopropellant, bipropellant, cold gas systems)
- Hands-on experience building Python scripts or spreadsheet tools to automate recurring propulsion analysis and data review workflows
- Structural analysis experience using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools applied to propulsion or fluid system hardware
- Experience generating and reviewing technical drawings and applying GD&T per ASME Y14.5 standards
- Experience with spacecraft-grade propellants including cryogenic, hypergolic, or high-test peroxide systems; working knowledge of cleanliness, handling, and safety requirements
- Test, launch site, or in-flight operational experience on spacecraft or launch vehicles
- Proficiency using 1D fluid modeling tools
- Experience developing and refining engineering standards, design guidelines, or analysis frameworks within a propulsion organization
- Exceptional technical communication skills — precision and clarity in work instructions, engineering specifications, and engineering memos
- Experience managing or mentoring technical contributors, formally or informally
Note: ITAR requirements apply. Only U.S. persons (U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, or individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum) may be hired due to access to export-controlled items.
