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Salary: USD 140,000 - 180,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is seeking a Senior Structures Engineer to join its team in El Segundo, California. Varda is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing, reentry capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses—all designed, built, and operated in-house.
In this role, you will own the design, analysis, build, and test of primary and secondary structures for Varda's spaceflight vehicles and reentry systems. You will work across a diverse range of projects, including spaceflight structures, mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE), spacecraft mechanisms, and supporting mechanical needs for cross-functional teams.
Key responsibilities include:
- Deriving hardware requirements and performing design trades from open-ended problem statements and stakeholder input
- Evaluating the impact of design decisions on packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads to optimize system-level solutions
- Owning all aspects of hardware delivery, both technical and administrative
- Using hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and CAD to ensure hardware meets or exceeds requirements
- Designing and executing development and qualification testing
- Developing tooling to support hardware integration and testing
- Providing technical mentorship to junior engineers
This is a full-time, exempt position based at Varda's El Segundo headquarters. The role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge aerospace technology with a team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline with 5+ years of experience in related applications (automotive, aircraft, spacecraft structures, etc.)
- Strong first-principles thinking with deep understanding of structural design, analysis, and testing
- Ability to perform structural analyses using hand calculations, ANSYS, FEMAP, NASTRAN, or equivalent tools
- Excellent 3D CAD skills (ideally NX) with experience translating models to production-intent detailed drawings and work instructions
- Experience with revision-controlled documentation in a PLM system (Teamcenter preferred)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication
- Basic technical breadth across other disciplines (avionics, software, GNC, etc.)
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with aerospace hardware development practices from concept to delivery (qualification testing, design for space environments, cleanliness standards, etc.)
- Direct experience with spaceflight vehicles, especially reentry vehicles and associated technical challenges
- Experience with programming tools (Python, MATLAB, etc.)
- Hands-on experience with assembly, fabrication, and machining of metallic parts
- Experience designing and analyzing spacecraft heatshields
Note: This position requires U.S. person status (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 items.
