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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, builds, and operates all major components in-house, from heat shields to processing payloads.
As a Senior Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer, you will be responsible for determining how Varda's spacecraft behave and operate in orbit, and building the reliable software systems that make it happen. You will own all aspects of flight software development across the entire mission lifecycle, from requirements capture through testing and on-orbit operational support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing reliable flight software for spacecraft, satellite buses, and reentry capsules using C++ on bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based embedded processors
- Owning the complete software development lifecycle: design, testing, integration, verification, and validation (V&V)
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through rigorous testing and verification techniques
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced aerospace environment
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. Varda operates facilities in El Segundo (headquarters with production and integration), Washington DC, and Huntsville, AL.
QUIREMENTS:
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, 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 systems
- F' or cFS framework experience
- Python or Rust programming
- Basic analog and digital electronics knowledge
- Familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, or EtherCAT protocols
Note: ITAR compliance required. Candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or individual admitted as refugee/granted asylum) due to access to export-controlled technology.
