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Salary: USD 140,333 - 179,314 / annual
Varda Space Industries is seeking a Senior Space Systems Engineer to serve as the primary architect for mission safety and reentry compliance within the Mission Assurance team. This is a highly cross-functional role bridging complex engineering trades and regulatory approval processes.
You will lead the development of Flight Safety Analysis and regulatory strategy required for FAA Part 450 and Range Safety licensing. Your responsibilities include owning the technical regulatory strategy, Means of Compliance, and safety cases for FAA launch and reentry authorizations. You will own vehicle-level functional hazard analyses (FHA) and failure mode and effect analyses (FMEA), maintain Expected Casualty and debris risk models to ensure all mission phases meet regulatory safety thresholds, and establish technical safety limits and mission rules for real-time on-console operations.
Additionally, you will be responsible for vehicle-level deliverables to regulatory organizations in service of mission reentry licenses and authorizations, and act as the Flight Safety responsible engineer during mission rehearsals and live recovery operations. This role requires the ability to influence cross-functional teams and present to executives, customers, and regulators.
Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. The company's W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, C-PICA heat shields, and satellite buses. Founded in January 2021 and headquartered in El Segundo, California, Varda is backed by world-class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, systems engineering, or related field
- Minimum 5 years of relevant aerospace engineering experience, with a previous role involving mission assurance, flight safety, or a senior systems engineering role
- Demonstrated experience with FAA Part 450, expected casualty modeling, trajectory dispersion, and/or debris analysis
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and present to executives, customers, and regulators
- Strong experience with risk management methodologies and tools (FMEA, FHA, Fault Tree Analysis)
- Experience with integration of interdisciplinary systems in the aerospace industry
PREFERRED:
- Demonstrated safety-critical mission operations in aviation or space applications
- Proven experience navigating the FCC Part 25 (Commercial) or Part 5 (Experimental) licensing process for satellite and reentry communications
- Dedicated to adopting a lean approach to quality without compromising safety or reliability
ITAR REQUIREMENT: Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).
