Senior Avionics Hardware Development Engineer

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in a fully funded space startup

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Health insurance including vision and dental

Lunch and snacks provided

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is looking for a Senior Avionics Hardware Development Engineer in El Segundo, California. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in electronics hardware development and will lead the design of critical flight hardware for satellite systems. Responsibilities include collaborating with cross-functional teams, designing PCB-level electronics, and mentoring junior engineers. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits such as health insurance and unlimited PTO.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct experience in electronics hardware development.
• Demonstrated experience in complex electronics systems.
• Strong hands-on lab experience.

Responsibilities

• Design PCB level electronics from schematic to manufacturing.
• Define subsystem requirements based on mission objectives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for design impacts.

Skills

Electronics hardware development

Signal integrity

Python programming

Root cause analysis

Education

B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Function generators

Digital multimeters

Job description

Senior 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.

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 a Principal Avionics Hardware Engineer at Varda, you will be the architect and designer of flight critical electrical hardware for our satellite bus, reentry vehicle, and customer payloads. Some examples include our flight computers, satellite power systems, sensors for navigation and monitoring pharmaceutical manufacturing. You will define subsystem requirements based on high level mission and company objectives, design to those requirements, and ensure the system as manufactured meets those requirements. In addition to designing and building electrical hardware, you will define its safe operating criteria and support our mission operations team on the risk tradeoffs of operating near the 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 components above and beyond the 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.
• 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 to determine across vehicle system impacts 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.
• 5+ years of direct experience in electronics hardware development.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to complex electronics systems from design to launch (to space or otherwise).
• Demonstrable knowledge of signal integrity, power and grounding board layout principles.
• Strong hands‑on lab experience with 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.
• Power electronics design experience including load switches and switch‑mode DC:DC converters.

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.
• Understanding of aerospace sensor and actuator technologies including RTDs, pressure transducers, brushless motors, solenoid valves, thermocouples, stepper motors, and rotary/linear encoders.

Pay Range

• Salary range: $160,000–$200,000.
• 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.

Benefits

• 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.).

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

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.