Senior Contracts Specialist

Varda Space; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

Varda Space is seeking a Senior Contracts Specialist in El Segundo, CA to manage government and commercial contracts. You’ll lead negotiations, ensure FAR/DFARS compliance, and drive post‑award execution on a lean team.

Your expertise will move missions forward while protecting the company’s interests. You’ll own the full lifecycle from pre‑award strategy to post‑award closeout, including NDAs and export controls.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in law, business, finance, or related field.
• 4–6 years contract management experience, government focus.
• Experience with FFP and OTA agreements.
• Knowledge of FAR/DFARS, NASA FARS.
• Experience negotiating NDAs.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance; willing to travel up to 10%.

Responsibilities

• Represent Varda as contracting officer for government and commercial missions.
• Lead or support negotiations with customers, protecting company interests.
• Clear the path to signature quickly, finding a mutually workable structure.
• Keep leadership aligned with signed contracts and regulations across teams.
• Own compliance with FAR, DFARS, and export-control regulations.
• Run contract closeout and manage contract files.

Skills

Govt contracts

FFP & OTA

FAR/DFARS

Negotiation

Export controls

TS clearance

Travel up to 10%

Education

BA/BS in law or business

Equivalent experience

Job description

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

Nobody has written the contracts for manufacturing in orbit and returning product to Earth at hypersonic speeds. You will.

As Senior Contracts Specialist, you’ll own first-of-kind agreements across microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing, hypersonic reentry vehicles, and novel government space programs. You’ll work directly with the Contracts Manager on a lean team, where one person’s work visibly moves the company. When you remove a blocker, a mission moves forward. When you protect Varda’s interests well, we can take on bigger bets.

You’ll manage the full contract lifecycle across government and commercial customers: pre-award strategy and proposal support, negotiation, FAR/DFARS compliance, export-control management, and post-award execution and closeout. Your judgment and cross-functional communication will directly determine how fast Varda can move.

What You’ll Do

• Represent Varda as the counterpart contracting officer for government and commercial missions
• Lead or support negotiations with customers, building strong working relationships while protecting the company’s interests
• Clear the path to signature quickly, finding the structure that works for both sides
• Keep mission management, operations, proposals, sales, product, and leadership aligned with signed contracts and regulations
• Own compliance with the FAR, DFARS, and export-control regulations
• Run contract closeout, including final deliveries, payments, and resolving open issues
• Maintain accurate contract and business files
• Advise leadership on Varda’s rights and obligations under its agreements
• Draft, review, and negotiate NDAs, customer agreements, partnership agreements, and other contracts

What You Bring

• BA/BS in law, business, finance, or a related field (equivalent professional experience considered)
• 4-6 years of hands‑on contract management experience, with an emphasis on government contracts
• Experience with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements
• Working knowledge of compliance under the FAR, DFARS, and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS)
• Experience negotiating NDAs
• A track record of making persuasive written and verbal arguments in negotiations
• The ability to juggle competing priorities and hit aggressive deadlines
• Experience with export‑controlled materials under ITAR and EAR
• Willingness to travel up to 10% as needed
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance
• This is a full‑time, 100% on‑site role in El Segundo, CA

Bonus Points

• Active Top Secret/SCI eligible clearance
• Experience structuring commercial agreements in dual‑use or regulated technology environments, including IP licensing, data rights, or export‑controlled deliverables
• Hands‑on experience in spacecraft integration, satellite manufacturing, or GMP/regulated pharmaceutical production, where process discipline and documentation integrity are non‑negotiable

Compensation

• Base salary: $155,000-$175,000 per year
• Stock options and/or long‑term cash awards, so you share in what we build
• On‑site in El Segundo, CA
• Leveling and base salary are determined by job‑related skills, education, experience, and performance

ITAR Requirements

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 theE‑Verify program.

E‑Verify Notice Right To Work Notice

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.