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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 Flight Software Engineer, you will own the development of reliable flight software that controls how Varda's spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout their entire orbital missions. You'll work across all phases of the software development lifecycle—from requirements capture and design through testing, integration, and flight operations support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing safety-critical flight software in C++ for bare metal, RTOS, and Linux-based embedded processors
- Owning complete software development cycles: design, testing, and integration
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive verification and validation (V&V)
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced aerospace environment
You'll bring 5+ years of experience developing spacecraft or safety-critical software, a strong foundation in C++, and ideally hands-on experience with real-time embedded systems. Preferred qualifications include end-to-end spacecraft development experience, aerospace safety-critical software expertise, familiarity with CCSDS telemetry/telecommand systems, F' or cFS frameworks, and knowledge of embedded communication protocols (SPI, I2C, CAN, EtherCAT).
Varda's 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, and Founders Fund. You'll be based at Varda's El Segundo headquarters, where the company builds, integrates, and tests all vehicles and equipment.
