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Salary: USD 131,000 - 184,000 / 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 a Spacecraft Firmware Engineer on the Flight Software team, you will develop reliable firmware that controls how Varda's spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout their entire mission lifecycle. You'll own all aspects of software development—from design and testing through integration and flight operations support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing reliable firmware for spacecraft control systems using C++
- Owning the complete software development lifecycle: design, testing, and integration
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Writing quality structured code for embedded processors (bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based)
- Building highly reliable and available software systems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) techniques
You'll need a Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software. You must have 3+ years developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software, with hands-on experience in real-time embedded hardware/software systems and strong C++ proficiency.
Preferred qualifications include aerospace safety-critical software experience, familiarity with Python or Rust, and deep knowledge of computer architecture, operating systems, data structures, and networking.
Varda is headquartered in El Segundo with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. The company was founded in 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov, backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, and Founders Fund. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley.
