SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 140,333 - 179,314 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company operates end-to-end, designing and manufacturing all components in-house.
As Senior Space Mission Operations Engineer, you will own and lead Varda's on-orbit mission operations for the Winnie Spaceship and related platforms. This is a hands-on role where you'll develop the complete operations lifecycle for mission-unique payloads, from mission profile creation through execution. You'll coordinate across engineering teams to continuously improve mission operations and ensure success, automate operational workflows through web tool development, and scale Varda's operational capabilities to support increasing flight cadence.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead on-orbit missions
- Own the full operations development cycle for mission-unique payloads
- Collaborate across teams to improve mission operations and ensure mission success
- Build web tools to automate and reduce operational burden
- Scale operational capabilities to support growing flight cadence
This is an exceptional opportunity to shape mission operations frameworks in a venture-backed startup environment with leadership from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharmaceutical companies. You'll have significant autonomy and impact on a critical function for a growing commercial space company.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering discipline (preferably Aerospace, Electrical, or Computer Science)
- 5+ years of experience in real-time operations roles on complex, high-consequence operations
- 3+ years of experience developing software tools in Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML
- Familiarity with Avionics, GNC, Software, and Thermal design practices for spacecraft
PREFERRED:
- 5+ years of experience with spacecraft systems
- Previous operator experience in a leadership role
- Previous in-orbit spacecraft operations experience
- Experience with Git and Atlassian products
- Familiarity with ground station networks
ITAR REQUIREMENT: Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or individual admitted as refugee/granted asylum) due to access to export-controlled technology.
