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Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing vehicles, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company designs and operates its W-Series vehicles end-to-end, from payloads to heat shields to avionics.
As Senior GNC Integration Engineer, you will lead the design, integration, and testing of guidance, navigation, and control systems for Varda's Winnebago vehicle. You'll work across the full lifecycle—from concept through prototype to production—collaborating with cross-functional teams to resolve competing requirements and ensure seamless system integration.
Key responsibilities include:
- Defining project scopes and requirements, guiding designs from concept to full-scale production
- Developing electrical architecture, system diagrams, and budgets for power, telemetry, channel count, size, and mass
- Analyzing architecture for faults and risks; developing mitigation plans and FDIR strategies
- Conducting comprehensive verification and validation plans for flight and HITL hardware
- Participating in mission operations as an avionics specialist, determining system health and reentry commit criteria
- Overseeing integration of avionics systems and serving as primary contact for integrated systems investigations
- Designing, building, and operating Hardware-In-The-Loop testbeds to simulate spacecraft on the ground
- Developing avionics ground infrastructure, test racks, and R&D equipment
- Mentoring junior engineers and fostering a culture of continuous improvement
You bring a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, plus at least 5 years of experience in system design, test planning, and validation. You're proficient in Python and have hands-on experience with avionics, spacecraft systems, or similar complex hardware integration. Experience with GNC systems, fault analysis, or mission-critical aerospace projects is highly valued.
