Senior Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads

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 Senior Mechanisms Engineer 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 own multi-payload missions across both pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions—driving hardware from concept through design, analysis, build, test, launch, and recovery. You’ll collaborate closely with internal specialists and external partners, translate high-level mission objectives into system designs and analyses, and perform hands-on integration and testing to deliver hardware that flies in months, not years.

This role is ideal for engineers who pair strong mechanical expertise with the breadth to drive cross-functional efforts and the desire to deliver complex hardware on fast development cycles.

Responsibilities

Own multi-payload missions from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery Lead the design of mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies Independently perform structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (hand calcs, python/matlab models, and FEA as needed) Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware Coordinate cross-functional inputs (avionics, software, thermal, systems, integration) Serve as primary technical interface for multi-payload missions or complex payload development Drive subsystem

Requirements

, ICDs, verification plans, and documentation Lead mission operations and post-flight teardown Lead incorporation of lessons learned and continuous improvement Mentor entry-level engineers and interns Basic

Qualifications

BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related field 4+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware Strong mechanical expertise with breadth in at least one adjacent discipline (avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, etc.) Experience delivering hardware into rigorous environments (aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, etc.) Ability to independently define tasks, manage schedules, and deliver integrated hardware Excellent cross-discipline communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

Prior full cycle ownership of space flight hardware Experience integrating electromechanical actuators, sensors, thermal control hardware and/or fluid control hardware Experience planning and executing aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC