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Salary: USD 144,020 - 184,026 / 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 an Embedded Software Engineer II on the Flight Software team, you will own the 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 and satellite bus control systems
- 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 quality structured code in C++ for embedded processors (bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based)
- Building highly reliable and available software systems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive V&V techniques
You'll need a bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, or engineering (or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software), plus 3+ years developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software. Strong experience with real-time embedded systems, C++, and embedded hardware/software integration is essential.
Preferred qualifications include aerospace safety-critical software experience, proficiency in Python or Rust, and deep knowledge of computer architecture, operating systems, data structures, and networking.
Varda was founded in 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov, backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund. The leadership and team include veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharma, and Silicon Valley. The company is headquartered in El Segundo with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
