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

Varda is seeking an experienced Senior Structures Engineer to join our team. In this position, you will be responsible for the design, analysis, build and test of primary and secondary structures for Varda's new spaceflight structures and reentry vehicles. We are looking for engineers who thrive on solving complex problems, can operate effectively in a fast-paced environment, and share our passion for advancing in-space industry.

Responsibilities

-- this includes the design and development of spaceflight structures, mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE), and basic spacecraft mechanisms, as well as the mechanical needs of other teams across the company. This is a full-time, exempt position located at our El Segundo headquarters.

Derive hardware

Requirements

and perform initial design trades given open-ended problem statements and stakeholder input. Evaluate the impact of hardware design decisions on packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads to ensure the best system-level solution. Own all aspects of hardware delivery, both technical and administrative.

Design and execute development and qualification testing. Develop tooling to support hardware integration and testing. Technical mentorship of junior engineers.

Qualifications

). Strong first principles thinking with a deep understanding of structural design, analysis, and testing.

Requirements (E.G., Hand Calcs, Ansys, Femap, Nastran, Etc.)

). Experience working with revision-controlled documentation in a PLM system (Teamcenter preferred). Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication.

). Excitement about making history at the forefront of both the space and pharmaceutical industries.