Payload Mechanisms Engineer II — Spaceflight Hardware

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 153,000; Full time

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, based in El Segundo, CA, invites applications for a Mechanisms Engineer II on the Payload team. You will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endure reentry, and return to Earth for inspection.

You’ll take full-stack responsibility from concept to launch and recovery, collaborating across specialists to deliver hardware on accelerated timelines. The role covers aircraft-grade hardware across pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry

Qualifications

• BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering.
• 2+ years design and analysis on electro-mechanical hardware.
• Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics.
• Hands-on design, integration, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to communicate across disciplines.

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.

Skills

Mechanical design

Electromechanical hardware design

Analytical thinking

Cross-disciplinary communication

Education

BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering

Tools

NX CAD

FEA (Ansys/Nastran)

Job description

Varda Space Industries, based in El Segundo, CA, invites applications for a Mechanisms Engineer II on the Payload team. You will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endure reentry, and return to Earth for inspection.

You’ll take full-stack responsibility from concept to launch and recovery, collaborating across specialists to deliver hardware on accelerated timelines. The role covers aircraft-grade hardware across pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry