SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 169,000 - 216,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company designs and operates all components in-house, from heat shields to flight software.
As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer on the Flight Software team, you will own the development of reliable firmware that controls how Varda's spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout their entire mission lifecycle. This is a full-stack role spanning requirements capture, design, implementation, testing, integration, and flight operations support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing reliable firmware for spacecraft control systems using bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based approaches
- Owning all aspects of software development from design through testing and integration
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Writing high-quality, structured C++ code for embedded processors
- Building highly reliable and available software systems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) techniques
You will work with a team of experienced engineers, many from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharmaceutical companies. The role is based in Varda's El Segundo headquarters, which houses the production facility where vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software
- 5+ years developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software
- Experience developing and testing real-time embedded hardware/software systems
- Strong C++ development skills and deep understanding of language concepts
Preferred qualifications include aerospace safety-critical software experience, proficiency in Python or Rust, and strong fundamentals in computer architecture, operating systems, data structures, and networking.
