Space Avionics Systems Engineer

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.

The Avionics Systems team has a comprehensive role overseeing the design integration and testing of avionics systems for our Winnebago vehicle. We ensure that all systems are ready for both launch and operational phases requiring a deep understanding of avionics system design manufacturing processes and operational protocols. This role involves close collaboration with various engineering teams where you will navigate and resolve conflicting requirements to achieve seamless system integration. Your expertise will be crucial in ensuring the vehicle meets its mission objectives from space manufacturing to hypersonic testing during reentry.

• Collaborate with cross functional teams to define project scopes and initial requirements guiding designs fromconcept to prototype and full-scale production.
  
• Develop electrical architecture system diagrams and budgets to account for power telemetry channel count size and mass predictions used to communicate closing vehicle solutions to company level objectives.
  
• Analyze architecture for potential faults and risks develop comprehensive mitigation plans resolve uncertainties and collaborate on Fault Detection Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) or operational workarounds when hardware solutions are unfeasible.
• Conduct comprehensive verification plans for avionics systems on flight and HITL hardware ensuring readinessfor launch and compliance with mission objectives for space and reentry operations
• Participate in mission operations as an Avionics specialist or system operator where youll determine system health suggest corrective actions and to reentry commit criteria for operational success.
• Oversee the integration of the Winnebago avionics systems acting as the primary point of contact for integrated systems investigations
• Design build and operate the Hardware In The Loop (HITL) testbeds simulating the spacecraft on the ground to ensure all systems are mission ready
• Develop avionics ground infrastructure supporting the design and integration of test racks and R&D equipmentused to power and communicate with the flight vehicles. Contribute to developing engineering best practices focusing on increased test automation and efficiency.
• Draw from your experiences to help mentor and train new engineers fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement within the team.
  

• Education: Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Computer Science or a related field.
• Experience: At least 3 years of experience in system design test planning and validation.
• Programming Skills: Proficiency in programming and debugging with Python.
• Technical Expertise: Experience with power supplies modular DAQ systems RTD and 4-20mA devices andgeneral test equipment.

• Proven experience taking vehicle electrical systems from concept to operational production.
• Prior experience setting up HITL testbeds managing configuration control and conducting system level tests.
• Familiarity with Unix environments and the ability to use command line utilities.
• Experience developing test cases and test equipment to meet vehicle operating conditions.
• Strong project or program management skills
• Prior roles: Avionics Hardware FPGA Engineer Electronics Test Engineer Electrical Systems Engineer

• Salary range: $131000 - $184000 annually.
• This role is on-site in El Segundo CA.
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills education level experience level and job performance.
• Offer compensation also includes the ability to receive stock options under the Companys Equity Incentive Plan.

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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).