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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 from design through on-orbit operations, with a team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharmaceutical companies.
As Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you will own Varda's on-orbit mission operations for the Winnie Spaceship and establish a unique mission framework for space operations. This is a hands-on role combining spacecraft operations expertise with software development and cross-functional leadership.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead on-orbit missions from conception through completion
- Own the full operations development cycle for mission-unique payloads, including mission profiles and execution
- Collaborate across engineering teams to continuously improve mission operations and ensure success
- Build web-based tools to automate and reduce operational burden
- Scale Varda's operational capabilities to support increasing flight cadence
You will need 5+ years in real-time operations on complex, high-consequence systems and 3+ years developing software tools in Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML. Aerospace, electrical, or computer science background required. Familiarity with spacecraft avionics, guidance/navigation/control, software, and thermal design is essential.
Preferred experience includes 5+ years with spacecraft systems, prior leadership in operations roles, in-orbit spacecraft operations, Git/Atlassian tools, and ground station networks knowledge.
This is an on-site role in El Segundo, CA, where Varda operates its production facility and headquarters. The company also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
