Senior Propulsion Engineer - Hardware and Bus Systems

<h2>About Varda</h2>

<p>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.&nbsp;<strong>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.</strong></p>

<p>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. &nbsp;</p>

<p>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. &nbsp;</p>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.</p><p><strong>About This Role</strong></p>

<p>As the <strong>Senior Propulsion Engineer – Hardware &amp; Bus Systems</strong>, you will be a hands-on technical owner of&nbsp;the&nbsp;propulsion&nbsp;subsystem&nbsp;and propulsion&nbsp;hardware&nbsp;across&nbsp;Varda's&nbsp;fleet of&nbsp;satellite buses.&nbsp;You will&nbsp;be responsible for&nbsp;propulsion system architecture, analysis products,&nbsp;component&nbsp;sizing,&nbsp;propulsion software&nbsp;tool development,&nbsp;data review,&nbsp;detailed&nbsp;mechanical design, subsystem test, and operations both on the ground and in orbit&nbsp;while working within an interdisciplinary engineering team. </p>

<p>Your work will directly influence the development of future vehicles and capabilities key to Varda’s growth.&nbsp;You’ll&nbsp;thrive in a fast-moving environment, taking&nbsp;full ownership of your systems and raising&nbsp;the technical bar for everyone around you.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Responsibilities</strong></p>

<ul>

<li>Maintain&nbsp;the&nbsp;Varda spacecraft propulsion system technical baseline, including P&amp;IDs and system-level documentation&nbsp;</li>

<li>Design,&nbsp;analyze,&nbsp;and test Varda&nbsp;satellite&nbsp;bus propulsion flight hardware and components&nbsp;</li>

<li>Identify&nbsp;opportunities and execute propulsion system block upgrades&nbsp;on operational vehicles, inclusive of both schematic and hardware changes, to increase reliability and&nbsp;cadence&nbsp;</li>

<li>Help define requirements and&nbsp;high-level propulsion architecture for future Varda vehicles; develop project plans with roadmaps, milestones, and&nbsp;drive&nbsp;cross-team alignment&nbsp;</li>

<li>Generate propulsion performance analysis&nbsp;products&nbsp;and&nbsp;document&nbsp;key requirements&nbsp;(propellant budgets,&nbsp;pressure ladders,&nbsp;fluid&nbsp;component&nbsp;sizing, structural &amp;&nbsp;thermal limits, more)&nbsp;and deliver them&nbsp;as&nbsp;inputs to GNC, Mission Operations, Thermal, and other&nbsp;cross-disciplinary&nbsp;partner teams&nbsp;</li>

<li>Build Python scripts and spreadsheet&nbsp;tools&nbsp;to automate recurring analysis and test data&nbsp;reduction&nbsp;workflows&nbsp;</li>

<li>Execute detailed mechanical design of propulsion hardware and fluid system components; perform structural analysis using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools&nbsp;</li>

<li>Author and review design documentation, engineering specs, build/integration/test procedures, and engineering memos&nbsp;</li>

<li>Sit on console for in-flight propulsion operations&nbsp;</li>

<li>Serve as a technical authority to disposition&nbsp;hardware&nbsp;nonconformances.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lead anomaly investigations&nbsp;and drive&nbsp;corrective actions to improve quality across the organization.&nbsp;</li>

<li>Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical reviewer for analysis products,&nbsp;design packages, and external deliverables&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>Basic Qualifications</strong></p>

<ul>

<li>B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience considered (typically 3–6+ years)</li>

<li>3+ years of hands-on experience in&nbsp;propulsion or fluid systems definition, design, build, and test for spacecraft or launch vehicles</li>

<li>Deep working knowledge of flight fluid system hardware: pressurized components, tubing, fittings, seals, valves, and instrumentation</li>

<li>Proficiency reading and authoring P&amp;IDs</li>

<li>Proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., CATIA, SolidWorks, NX) and PLM software</li>

<li>Experience authoring and executing operational procedures for ground test or flight campaigns, including console operations</li>

<li>Demonstrated ability to drive anomaly investigations and technical problems to resolution across organizational boundaries&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>Preferred Skills and Experience</strong></p>

<ul>

<li>6+ years of years of spacecraft or launch vehicle propulsion experience, including satellite bus-level propulsion architectures (monopropellant, bipropellant, cold gas systems)&nbsp;</li>

<li>Hands-on experience building Python scripts or spreadsheet tools to automate&nbsp;recurring&nbsp;propulsion analysis&nbsp;&amp; data review&nbsp;workflows&nbsp;</li>

<li>Structural analysis experience using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools applied to propulsion or fluid system hardware&nbsp;</li>

<li>Experience generating&nbsp;and reviewing&nbsp;technical drawings&nbsp;and applying GD&amp;T&nbsp;per&nbsp;ASME&nbsp;Y14.5 standards&nbsp;</li>

<li>Experience with spacecraft-grade propellants including cryogenic,&nbsp;hypergolic, or high-test peroxide systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;Working knowledge of cleanliness, handling, and safety requirements.&nbsp;</li>

<li>Test,&nbsp;launch site, or in-flight&nbsp;operational&nbsp;experience&nbsp;on&nbsp;spacecraft or launch vehicles.&nbsp;</li>

<li>Proficiency&nbsp;using&nbsp;1D fluid modeling&nbsp;&amp; analysis&nbsp;tools (GFSSP,&nbsp;REFPROP, other)&nbsp;</li>

<li>Experience&nbsp;developing&nbsp;&amp; refining&nbsp;engineering standards, design guidelines, or analysis frameworks within a propulsion organization&nbsp;</li>

<li>Exceptional technical communication skills — precision and clarity in work instructions, engineering specifications, and engineering memos&nbsp;</li>

<li>Experience managing or mentoring&nbsp;technical contributors, formally or informally&nbsp;</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>Pay Range</strong></p>

<ul>

<li>Salary Range:&nbsp;Senior: $140,333 – $179,314/per year</li>

<li>This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA</li>

<li>Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance</li>

<li>You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards</li>

</ul>

<h2>Benefits</h2>

<p>Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive&nbsp;(at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Health &amp; Wellness</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>

<li>Flexible PTO policy +&nbsp;12 paid holidays&nbsp;</li>

</ul>