Senior Avionics Systems Engineer - Spacecraft & HITL

Varda; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation support

Medical insurance (employees & depend.

401(k) with match

Parental leave

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

Varda seeks a Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer, Avionics, in El Segundo, CA, to lead avionics design, integration, and testing for Winnebago Spaceship missions. You’ll work across engineering teams to ensure launch readiness, reliability, and mission success of space hardware.

You will develop electrical architectures, create verification plans, and mentor junior engineers while contributing to a dynamic, equity-backed startup culture focused on space manufacturing and reentry capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in system design, test planning, and validation.
• Proficiency in Python programming.
• Experience with power supplies, modular DAQ systems, RTD and 4-20mA devices, and general test equipment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross functional teams to define project scopes and initial requirements, guiding designs from concept to prototype and full-scale production.
• Develop electrical architecture, system diagrams, and budgets to account for power, telemetry, channel count, size, and mass predictions used to communicate closing vehicle solutions to company level objectives.
• Analyze architecture for potential faults and risks, develop comprehensive mitigation plans, resolve uncertainties, and collaborate on FDIR or operational workarounds when hardware solutions are unfeasible.
• Conduct comprehensive verification plans for avionics systems on flight and HITL hardware, ensuring readiness for launch and compliance with mission objectives for space and reentry operations.
• Participate in mission operations as an Avionics specialist or system operator, where they’ll determine system health, suggest corrective actions to reentry commit criteria for operational success.
• Oversee the integration of the Winnebago avionics systems, acting as the primary point of contact for integrated systems investigations.
• Design, build, and operate the Hardware In The Loop (HITL) testbeds, simulating the spacecraft on the ground to ensure all systems are mission ready.
• Develop avionics ground infrastructure, support the design and integration of test racks and R&D equipment used to power and communicate with the flight vehicles.
• Draw from their experiences to help mentor and train new engineers, fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement within the team.

Skills

Python

System design

Test planning

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Power supplies

Modular DAQ systems

RTD & 4-20mA devices

HITL testbeds

Job description

Varda seeks a Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer, Avionics, in El Segundo, CA, to lead avionics design, integration, and testing for Winnebago Spaceship missions. You’ll work across engineering teams to ensure launch readiness, reliability, and mission success of space hardware.

You will develop electrical architectures, create verification plans, and mentor junior engineers while contributing to a dynamic, equity-backed startup culture focused on space manufacturing and reentry capabilities.