SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 119,543 - 152,749 / annual
Varda Space Industries is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable reentry capsules. The company designs and operates its W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, C-PICA heat shields, and satellite buses.
As a Thermofluids Engineer II, you will drive fluid system design for thermal management on spacecraft through analysis, test, and validation. This role supports development and characterization of thermomechanical and fluid systems for payload, vehicle, and propulsion applications. You will define performance metrics, operational requirements, and hardware requirements for ground testing and flight operations.
Day-to-day responsibilities include sizing thermofluid systems and component performance via hand calculations, simulation, and testing. You will work with typical thermomechanical hardware (valves, pumps, accumulators, heat exchangers, etc.), 0D and 1D fluid networks, and fluid system modeling. Successful candidates thrive on solving hard problems, adapting to dynamic requirements, and collaborating across multiple domains.
Key responsibilities:
- Develop active thermal control systems for vehicle and payload thermal management
- Develop fluid network models to interface with top-level vehicle thermal models
- Define hardware and operational requirements for fluid systems based on analysis and testing
- Inform manufacturing and integration of thermal/fluid hardware onto the vehicle
- Collaborate with other spacecraft disciplines (payload, mechanical, software, propulsion) to design and develop thermal/fluid systems
- Characterize thermofluid performance of propulsion systems from analysis, ground testing, and flight data
- Develop data processing infrastructure for ground and flight thermofluids systems
The role is on-site in El Segundo, CA. Varda offers comprehensive benefits including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible PTO plus 12 paid holidays; 12 weeks of parental leave; 401(k) with 6% employer match; substantial equity in a fully funded space startup; and workplace perks including daily lunch and twice-weekly dinner, EV charging, and wellness reimbursement.
ITAR Requirements: Candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or individual admitted as refugee/granted asylum) due to access to export-controlled items.
Requirements:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline (or equivalent professional experience, typically 1–3+ years)
- 1+ years experience in thermofluids and/or propulsion systems in a manufacturing environment
- Strong heat transfer and incompressible fluid mechanics first principles
- Background in 0D and 1D thermal and/or fluid networks
- Expertise in one or more fluid or thermal modeling tools (SINDA/FLUINT, ANSYS, GFSSP, etc.)
- Knowledge of thermomechanical systems: heat exchangers, cold plates, vacuum chambers, pumps, valves, RTDs, transducers, etc.
- Hands-on experience in thermal and TVAC testing
- Experience in MATLAB (or equivalent) for data processing and task automation
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication
Preferred:
- 3+ years' experience in thermofluids and/or propulsion systems in a manufacturing environment
- Master's degree in an engineering discipline
- Experience with Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT
- Experience in propulsion systems and thruster characterization
- Track record of taking ownership of projects and delivering results in fast-paced environments
