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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 a Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer II, you will own the development of reliable flight software that determines how Varda's spacecraft, satellite buses, and reentry capsules operate throughout their entire missions. This is a hands-on engineering role spanning the full software development lifecycle—from requirements capture and design through testing, integration, and flight operations support.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing safety-critical flight software in C++ for embedded processors (bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based systems)
- Owning all aspects of software development: architecture, design, implementation, testing, and integration
- Scoping projects, capturing requirements, and conducting design trades for open-ended problems
- Ensuring system quality and performance through comprehensive verification and validation (V&V)
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced aerospace environment
You'll need a bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software, plus 3+ years developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical systems. Strong C++ expertise is essential.
Preferred experience includes end-to-end spacecraft development and launch, real-time embedded systems, aerospace safety-critical software, CCSDS telemetry/telecommand, F' or cFS frameworks, Python or Rust, analog/digital electronics, and familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, or EtherCAT protocols.
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.
