Principal Spacecraft Avionics Hardware Development Engineer

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 182,000 - 263,000; Full time

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Principal Spacecraft Avionics Hardware Engineer to lead the architectural design and hardware development of flight-critical electronics for satellite buses and reentry vehicles.

You will own subsystem requirements, drive PCB-level design, test, and qualification, mentor engineers, and collaborate with software, thermal, GNC, and structures teams to ensure reliability in demanding space environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 8+ years of direct experience designing electronics hardware for aerospace/high-reliability industries.
• 3+ years of experience working directly on hardware for space applications.
• Experience owning the architecture and implementation of complex electronics systems from design to production.
• Experience with high-speed signal integrity, power and grounding, EMI.

Responsibilities

• PCB level electronics design across lifecycle stages, from schematic capture to layout and testing.
• Contribute to avionics architecture and system design for next-generation vehicles.
• Define standards, processes and procedures to enable exemplary electrical engineering at Varda.
• Translate objectives into subsystem requirements, designs, and milestones.
• Avionics SME for satellite, reentry vehicle, and payload hardware; support cross-functional teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and support mission operations.

Skills

Python programming

MATLAB

Signal integrity

Schematic capture

Power electronics design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium

KiCad

Job description

Principal Spacecraft Avionics Hardware Development Engineer

About Varda

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.Varda’s 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.

About This Role

As aPrincipal Spacecraft Avionics Hardware Engineer at Varda, youwill be thearchitectand designer offlight criticalelectrical hardwarefor oursatellite bus,reentryvehicle, and customer payloads.Some examples include our flight computers,satellite power systems,sensors for navigation andmonitoringpharmaceutical manufacturing.You Will definesubsystemrequirementsbased on high level mission and companyobjectives,designtothose requirements, and ensurethe system asmanufacturedmeetsthose requirements.In addition to designing and buildingelectricalhardware, youwill defineitsafe operating criteria andsupport our mission operations teamon the risk tradeoffs of operatingnearthe bounds of those criteria.

At Varda, we believe that the trip to space and back is the easiest trip our hardware takes. We stress our componentsabove and beyondthe levels it should expect to see in flight and investigate our failures thoroughly.

Responsibilities

• PCB level electronics design at all lifecycle stages, from schematic capture, to layout, to design validation,fabrication/assembly,and manufacturing test.
• Contribute to avionics architecture and system design for next-generation vehicles and hardware block upgrades to existing vehicles.
• Help define standards, processes and procedures to enable exemplary electrical engineering at Varda.
• Distilling high level company or mission objectives into requirements, designs, and developmental milestones for your subsystems.
• Avionics subject matter expert for satellite, reentry vehicle, and payload hardware. Providing support to those using your products, namely the Varda GNC, pharmaceutical, mission operations, and integration teams.
• Actively collaborate with cross functional teams such as flight software, thermal, GNC, and structures todetermineacross vehiclesystemimpacts of design decisions.
• Ownership of product acceptance and qualification testing for space environments (Thermal, Vibe, Shock, TVAC, and EMI) with support from the Avionics Test team.
• Provide direction on system-level integration test plans to verify your hardware performs as expected at the vehicle level.
• Perform root cause analysis on test failures and implement holistic mitigation strategies for flight risks.
• Mentor junior engineers on their projects, challenges, and design methodologies setting a high bar for the future leaders of Varda.

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of direct experience designing electronics hardware - schematic capture, PCB layout, board bring-up, and environmental qualification - for aerospace, automotive, or other high-reliability industries.
• 3+ years of experience working directly on hardware for space applications.
• Demonstrated experience owning the architecture and implementation of complex electronics systems from design to production/deployment.
• Advanced PCB design expertise, knowledge of high speed signal integrity, power and grounding, electromagnetic compatibility.
• Experience taking complex PCB designs through fabrication and assembly.
• Expert user of Altium and/or KiCad EDA suites.
• Strong hands-on lab experience with electronic test equipment including oscilloscopes, function generators, benchtop digital multimeters, and power supplies.
• Experience programming in Python, MATLAB, or another scripting/data analysis language.
• Demonstrated experience implementing the hardware layer of numerous on-board and over-harness communication protocols such as SPI, RS422, and 1000BASE-T.
• Experience designing analog/digital filtering and mixed-signal circuits.
• Power electronics design experienceincludingload switches and switch modeDC:DCconverters.
• Understanding of aerospace sensor and actuator technologies including: RTDs, pressure transducers, brushless motors, solenoid valves, thermocouples, stepper motors, and rotary/linear Encoders.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Industry leading electronic circuit design and analysis skills.
• Strong supporting general knowledge in physics, math, and chemistry fundamentals for designing electronics that experience unique environments.

Pay Range

• Salary range: $181,913 - $262,763/per year
• 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. 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).

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.

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.