Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Health insurance, including Vision and Dental

Lunch and snacks provided daily

Dinners provided twice a week

Equity opportunities

Job summary

A leading aerospace company is seeking a Mechanisms Engineer in El Segundo, California. The role involves developing electromechanical flight hardware for orbital and reentry missions, requiring collaboration across various engineering disciplines. Ideal candidates will have a BS/BEng in engineering and strong mechanical fundamentals, along with hands-on hardware design experience. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative space technology and collaborate with top professionals in the field.

Qualifications

• Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics.
• Hands-on experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware.
• Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Own payload hardware from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery.
• Design mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies.
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware.

Skills

Mechanical fundamentals

Thermals

Fluid systems

Avionics

Integration

Effective communication

Education

BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Mechatronics Engineering

Tools

CAD (NX preferred)

FEA (Ansys, Nastran)

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 a Mechanisms Engineer on Varda’s Payload team, you will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for inspection and iteration. You will take full‑stack responsibility for payloads across both pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions—delivering flight hardware from concept through build, test, launch, and recovery.

You’ll collaborate closely with internal specialists and external partners, translate engineering requirements into flight‑ready designs, and perform hands‑on integration and testing to deliver hardware that flies in months, not years. This role is ideal for engineers with strong mechanical fundamentals who want to grow their breadth across thermal, fluids, avionics, software, and integration while shipping real hardware to space and back.

Responsibilities

• Own payload hardware from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery
• Design mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies
• Run structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (hand calcs, simplified models, and FEA as needed)
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware
• Work across avionics, software, thermal, systems, and integration teams to define interfaces and ensure compatibility
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned payloads
• Support mission operations and post‑flight teardown
• Contribute to lessons learned and continuous improvement

Basic Qualifications

• BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering discipline
• Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics
• Hands‑on experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
• Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating electromechanical actuators, sensors, thermal control hardware and/or fluid control hardware
• Experience using CAD (NX preferred) and FEA (Ansys, Nastran)
• Exposure to aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
• Customer‑facing technical communication experience
• Ability to obtain a government security clearance

Benefits

• 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, 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.

“U.S. 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.)

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, marital 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 the E‑Verify program.