Senior Structures Engineer
Job Location:
El Segundo, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted on:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
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.Vardas 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 this position you will be responsible for the design analysis build and test of primary and secondary structures for Vardas 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. The structures team supports a diverse range of projects and 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.
Responsibilities
- 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.
- Use hand calculations finite element analyses and computer-aided designs (CAD) to ensure all hardware meets or exceeds requirements.
- Design and execute development and qualification testing.
- Develop tooling to support hardware integration and testing.
- Technical mentorship of junior engineers.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in a relevant engineering discipline with 5 years of experience in related applications (e.g. structures for automotive aircraft spacecraft etc.).
- Strong first principles thinking with a deep understanding of structural design analysis and testing.
- Ability to perform appropriate structural analyses to demonstrate that a structure design meets or exceeds requirements (e.g. Hand Calcs Ansys Femap Nastran etc.).
- Excellent 3D CAD skills (ideally NX) and experience translating models to production intent (detailed drawings work instructions 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.
- Basic technical breadth across other disciplines (avionics software GNC etc.).
- Excitement about making history at the forefront of both the space and pharmaceutical industries.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Experience with aerospace hardware development practices from concept to delivery (e.g. qualification testing practices design for typical space environments cleanliness etc.).
- Direct experience with spaceflight vehicles especially reentry vehicles and the associated technical challenges therein.
- Experience with programming tools (Python Matlab etc.).
- Comfortable with hands-on assembly fabrication and machining of metallic parts.
- Experience designing and analyzing spacecraft heatshields
Pay Range
- E2: $120000 - 153000 per year (1-3 years of exp)
- Sr. Engineer: $140000 - 180000 per year (3-6 years of exp)
- This role is on-site in El Segundo CA
- Leveling and base salary are 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
Benefits
Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health financial wellbeing and a highquality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what fulltime employees receive(at this time interns receive a subset of benefits):
Health & Wellness
- Flexible PTO policy 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical Dental and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntaryaccident hospital critical illnessandpet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12weeks ofparental leave(with supplemental disability leavefor CAmothers)
- Family building pregnancyparentingand menopausebenefitsvia Maven Clinic
- SponsoredOne Medicalmemberships for employees and their dependents
Financial & Retirement
- Substantial incentive equityin a fully funded space start-up
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
- Relocation supportfor new hires if needed
Workplace Experience & Perks
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events happyhoursand mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
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 theE-Verify program.
E-Verify Notice Right To Work Notice
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.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
Expanding the economic bounds of humankind with the world's first orbital manufacturing & reentry platform.
