Head of Production

Varda Space Industries, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a pioneering company at the forefront of commercial space infrastructure. As the Head of Production, you will oversee the entire production workflow, ensuring timely delivery of innovative space vehicles. This role is perfect for someone passionate about aerospace and eager to lead a dynamic team. You'll be responsible for building a skilled workforce and implementing efficient processes that drive quality and efficiency. If you're ready to make a significant impact in the rapidly evolving orbital economy, this is your chance to be part of something extraordinary.

Benefits

401(k) Matching

Unlimited PTO

Health Insurance (Vision and Dental)

Lunch and Snacks Provided

Maternity/Paternity Leave

Equity in a Fully Funded Startup

Qualifications

• Experience in final assembly production and production management.
• Strong teamwork and problem-solving skills in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead production workflow and ensure timely delivery of vehicles.
• Monitor production demands and manage team performance.

Skills

Production Management

Team Leadership

Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Technical Direction

Education

B.S. in Engineering

8+ years in Final Assembly Production

Tools

Unigraphics NX

CAD Software

Job description

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.

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 (coming soon).

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

About This Role

As the Head of Production you will own Varda's ability to meet increasing vehicle production cadence targets. The Head of Production at Varda is responsible for the end-to-end production workflow from piece parts to vehicle launch with the key performance metric of cadence. The role will create and execute on the production plans for Varda's evolving vehicle's capabilities then monitor, report, and forecast demands on the facility, tooling, and personnel. The role will lead the team tasked with iterative improvement in both quality and takt time over each vehicle build from subassemblies through launch. This role will be responsible for hiring talented individuals for the fastest growing organization as Varda scales to meet customer demand. Ultimately, the Head of Production will be excited to build space vehicles alongside a growing team!

Responsibilities

• Deliver evolving vehicles on time, or early, at increasing cadence
• Provide technical direction to improve team and build processes to scale toward increasing build rate
• Lead growing team of technicians and manufacturing engineers, including performance management
• Monitor, report, and forecast production demands for facility, tooling, and personnel needs
• Assess cost of increasing work cell capabilities and proposing plans to increase internal capabilities
• Weigh production priorities in context of company goals
• Identify and resolve non-conformance issues
• Implement data tracking for production and quality metrics to inform requirements to hit production targets
• Timely build, assembly, repair, and test of components, subassemblies, and vehicles in a cleanroom environment to hit production targets
• Create, maintain, and execute production plans
• Assess and hire skill sets needed
• Create and execute training programs
• Proactively coordinate with engineering and supply chain to improve the vehicle and/or schedules
• Review work instructions to make change recommendations when required and identify tooling/training gaps
• Own and improve production environment

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. degree in engineering or 8+ years of experience in a final assembly production environment
• 3+ years of production management experience
• Teamwork, communication (verbal and written), and problem solving in a collaborative environment
• Proven experience working on complex technical programs, preferably within aerospace or related industries
• Strong first principles thinking
• Hands-on experience building complex vehicles
  • Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs.
  • Must be comfortable bending, stooping, and standing
  • Hands-on position may require standing for up to 6 hours a day and working directly with hardware on the floor

PreferredSkills and Experience

• Knowledge of aerospace vehicle systems
• Experience with project management of the full lifecycle of a project
• Capability to solve complex problems autonomously as an individual or as a member of an integrated team
• Experience moving teams and processes from development to production
• Ability to read engineering drawings and schematics
• Experience with aerospace hardware development practices (e.g., qualification testing practices, cleanliness, ESD, grounding, etc.)
• Experience across structures, propulsion, and/or avionics production
• Prior work in a technical leadership role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
• Experience with Unigraphics NX or similar CAD software

Pay Range

• $175,000 - $223,600
• This role is on-sitein El Segundo, CA
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

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. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than “U.S. Persons” as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current 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 in the U.S.)

Learn more about the ITAR

• Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field working by your side
• Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
• 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
• Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
• Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
• Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
• Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)

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.

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.

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

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. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than “U.S. Persons” as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current 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 in the U.S.)Based upon the foregoing definitions, are you a U.S. Person? (Yes/No) * Select...

Are you aware this is an onsite position located in El Segundo, California and will require the occupant of the role to be in office Monday through Friday? * Select...

LinkedIn Profile

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Varda Space Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.