SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 169,067 - 216,031 / 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.
The Senior Space Flight Software Engineer is responsible for determining how Varda's spacecraft behaves and operates in orbit, and for building reliable software to ensure mission success. This role owns all phases of flight software development, from requirements capture through testing and flight operational support.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop reliable flight software that controls how the spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout the entire mission lifecycle
- Write quality structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based software for embedded processors in C++
- Own all aspects of software development, including design, testing, and integration
- Scope projects by capturing requirements and conducting initial design trades for open-ended problems
- Ensure system quality and performance through software test, verification, and validation (V&V) techniques
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex problems
Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley. The company is backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software
- 5+ years of experience in spacecraft or similar safety-critical software development
- Strong proficiency in C++ with deep understanding of language concepts
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- End-to-end experience building and launching a spacecraft
- Real-time embedded systems development and testing
- Safety-critical software experience, especially for aerospace applications
- CCSDS telemetry and telecommand system experience
- F' or cFS framework experience
- Python or Rust proficiency
- Basic analog and digital electronics knowledge
- Familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, or EtherCAT protocols
Note: This role requires US person status (US citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to ITAR export control requirements.
