Flight Safety Engineer - Space Reentry & FAA

Varda Space Industries; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Health insurance

Wellness reimbursement

Parental leave

Equity incentives

401(k) match

Relocation support

Cell phone reimbursement

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Systems Engineer to join the Mission Assurance team as a flight safety analyst and reentry compliance specialist. You will develop Flight Safety Analysis and regulatory strategy for FAA Part 450 and range safety licensing, ensuring safety-critical artifacts are defined and validated across design and live operations.

You will collaborate across engineering, regulatory, and operations to confirm safe reentry methodologies and risk controls while supporting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing or related field.
• Cradle-to-grave ownership of complex engineering projects.
• Excellent communication to influence and present to executives/regulators.
• Strong experience with risk management methods (FMEA, FHA, Fault Tree).
• Experience integrating interdisciplinary systems in aerospace.

Responsibilities

• Perform flight safety analyses focusing on failure trajectory modeling and debris field containment.
• Lead regulatory strategy, methods of compliance, and safety cases for FAA launch/reentry authorizations.
• Complete FHA and FMEA at vehicle level.
• Serve as Flight Safety responsible engineer during rehearsals and live recoveries.
• Set technical safety limits and mission rules for real-time operations.
• Deliver vehicle-level artifacts to regulators to support reentry licenses.

Skills

Flight safety

FHA

FMEA

Regulatory strategy

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, systems engineering

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Systems Engineer to join the Mission Assurance team as a flight safety analyst and reentry compliance specialist. You will develop Flight Safety Analysis and regulatory strategy for FAA Part 450 and range safety licensing, ensuring safety-critical artifacts are defined and validated across design and live operations.

You will collaborate across engineering, regulatory, and operations to confirm safe reentry methodologies and risk controls while supporting