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Salary: USD 169,067 - 216,031 / 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 processing payloads.
As Senior Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer, you will own the flight software that determines how Varda's spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout their entire mission lifecycle. You will be responsible for all phases of development, from requirements capture through testing and flight operational support.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop reliable, safety-critical flight software for spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operations
- Write structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based software in C++ for embedded processors
- Own all aspects of software development: design, testing, and integration
- Scope projects, capture requirements, and conduct initial design trades for open-ended problems
- Ensure system quality and performance through comprehensive software test, verification, and validation (V&V) techniques
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex problems
Varda's team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley. The company is backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst. Headquarters and production facility are in El Segundo, CA, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
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
- Strong proficiency in C++ with deep understanding of language concepts
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- End-to-end experience building and launching a spacecraft
- Real-time embedded systems development and testing
- Safety-critical software experience, especially aerospace applications
- CCSDS telemetry and telecommand system experience
- F' or cFS framework experience
- Python or Rust proficiency
- Basic analog and digital electronics knowledge
- Familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, or EtherCAT protocols
