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    Varda Space Industries

    Aerospace

    Mechanisms Engineer II - Payloads

    El Segundo, United StatesOn-SiteFull-time2+ yrs experience$119.5k – $152.7k / yearPosted 5d ago
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    Job description

    About Varda

    Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

    From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.

    Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.

    Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.

    Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

    About this Role

    As a Mechanisms Engineer II on Varda’s Payload team, you will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for inspection and iteration. You will take full-stack responsibility for payloads across both pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions—delivering flight hardware from concept through build, test, launch, and recovery.

    You’ll collaborate closely with internal specialists and external partners, translate engineering requirements into flight-ready designs, and perform hands-on integration and testing to deliver hardware that flies in months, not years. This role is ideal for engineers with strong mechanical fundamentals who want to grow their breadth across thermal, fluids, avionics, software, and integration while shipping real hardware to space and back.

    Responsibilities

    • Own payload hardware from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery
    • Design mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies
    • Run structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (hand calcs, simplified models, and FEA as needed)
    • Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware
    • Work across avionics, software, thermal, systems, and integration teams to define interfaces and ensure compatibility
    • Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned payloads
    • Generate documentation: requirements, ICDs, procedures, test reports
    • Support mission operations and post-flight teardown
    • Contribute to lessons learned and continuous improvement

    Basic Qualifications

    • BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering discipline
    • 2+ years of design and analysis experience working on complex electro-mechanical hardware or comparable mechanisms
    • Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics
    • Hands-on experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
    • Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines

    Preferred Qualifications

    • Experience integrating electromechanical actuators, sensors, thermal control hardware and/or fluid control hardware
    • Experience using CAD (NX preferred) and FEA (Ansys, Nastran)
    • Exposure to aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
    • Customer-facing technical communication experience
    • Ability to obtain a government security clearance

    Pay Range

    • Salary range: $119,543 - $152,749/per year
    • This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
    • Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
    • You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

    ITAR Requirements

    Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
    “US person” means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).

    E-Verify Statement

    Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

    E-Verify Notice                                                               Right To Work Notice

    Read more                                                                             Read more

    Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

    Job details are sourced from the employer's original posting.

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    About the company

    Varda Space Industries

    Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. They aim to expand the economic bounds of humankind by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth.

    View all Varda Space Industries jobs
    Industry
    Aerospace
    Founded
    2021
    Open roles
    131

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