SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 140,333 - 179,314 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems and reentry capsules. The company designs, manufactures, and operates its W-Series vehicles entirely in-house, from heat shields to satellite buses, with a team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major pharmaceutical companies.
As Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer, you will be a key member of the vehicle engineering team responsible for developing and maintaining thermal system architectures for Varda's spacecraft. You will collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, production, software, and mission operations teams to ensure vehicle health and performance across all mission phases.
Your responsibilities include:
- Develop and maintain integrated thermal analysis models for Varda's space vehicles
- Create and maintain tools and systems for model and flight data processing
- Ensure spacecraft remains within operating and survival limits during all mission phases via passive and active thermal control
- Collaborate with other spacecraft disciplines to drive hardware, software, and operational improvements
- Plan, execute, and anchor models to Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing
- Provide guidance to vehicle-level testing, including thermal bakeout, Vehicle-In-The-Loop (VITL), and propulsion hot fire
- Work independently with minimal technical oversight
- Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical peer reviewer
You will flex between quick evaluations and high-fidelity analysis, contributing to thermal modeling and data processing workflows to build more efficient and robust systems as Varda scales vehicle cadence. A proactive problem-solving approach and commitment to meeting tight schedules are critical.
REQUIREMENTS:
- B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience (typically 3–6+ years)
- 3+ years of experience and knowledge in developing passive and active thermal control systems
- Proficiency in detailed thermal analysis using Thermal Desktop and SINDA/FLUINT
- Experience anchoring thermal models to test and/or flight data
- Experience in planning and executing Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVac) testing
- Experience in MATLAB (or equivalent) for data processing and task automation
- Familiarity with thermal margins and qualification test requirements in SMC-S-016
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication
PREFERRED:
- Master's degree in related engineering discipline with 3+ years of related professional experience
- Experience of entire spacecraft vehicle lifecycle, from initial concept, design development, production, integration, and test to mission operations
- Experience in thermal design and analysis of reentry systems
- Track record of taking ownership of projects and delivering results in fast-paced environment
Note: ITAR requirements apply. Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or individual admitted as refugee/granted asylum).
