Senior Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads

The role

You will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth. You will own multi-payload missions from concept through design, analysis, build, test, launch, and recovery.

What you will do

• 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
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware
• Coordinate cross-functional inputs
• 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

Required 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

Nice to have

• 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, EMI/EMC)
• Customer-facing technical communication experience
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance

Benefits

• Stock options
• Long-term cash awards

Before you apply

• Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual)
• Varda participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program

About the company

Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. The company is headquartered in El Segundo, California.