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Salary: USD 169,000 - 216,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company designs and operates all components in-house, from heat shields to processing payloads.
As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer on the Flight Software team, you will own the development of reliable firmware that controls how Varda's spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout their entire mission lifecycle. This is a safety-critical role spanning all development phases from requirements capture through testing and flight operations support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing reliable firmware for spacecraft and reentry capsule control systems
- Owning all aspects of software development: design, testing, and integration
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Writing quality structured bare metal, RTOS, and Linux-based software in C++ for embedded processors
- Building highly reliable and available software systems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) techniques
You will bring 5+ years of experience developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software, with strong expertise in real-time embedded systems, C++, and hardware/software integration. Aerospace safety-critical experience, familiarity with Python or Rust, and deep knowledge of computer architecture, operating systems, and networking are valued.
Varda's team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley. The company was founded in 2021 and is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund. You'll work on-site in El Segundo, where Varda operates its production facility for vehicle integration and testing.
