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Salary: USD 169,067 - 216,031 / annual
Varda Space Industries is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable reentry capsules. The company designs, builds, and operates W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses. Varda is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund, with headquarters in El Segundo, CA and additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
The Senior Embedded Software Engineer on the Flight Software team is responsible for determining how spacecraft behave and operate in orbit, building reliable software to ensure mission success. This role spans all phases of development from requirements capture through testing and flight operational support.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop reliable firmware to control spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operations throughout the entire mission lifecycle
- Own all aspects of software development including design, testing, and integration
- Scope projects, capture requirements, and conduct initial design trades for open-ended problems
- Write quality structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based software for embedded processors in C++
- Build highly reliable and available software systems
- Ensure system quality and performance through software test, verification, and validation (V&V) techniques
This is an on-site position in El Segundo, CA. Compensation includes substantial equity in a fully funded space startup, 401(k) with 6% employer match, comprehensive health/dental/vision coverage, flexible PTO plus 12 paid holidays, 12 weeks parental leave, and workplace perks including daily lunch and twice-weekly dinner, EV charging, and wellness reimbursement.
ITAR Compliance: Candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to access to export-controlled technology.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software
- 5+ years of experience developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software
- Experience developing and testing real-time embedded hardware/software systems
- Experience with C++ development and strong understanding of language concepts
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with safety-critical software, especially aerospace applications
- Additional programming languages such as Python or Rust
- Strong understanding of computer architecture, operating systems, data structures, and computer networking
