Senior Fluid Systems Engineer, Space Payloads

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation support

401(k) with match

Health insurance

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, is actively seeking a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer to develop first‑of‑its‑kind electromechanical fluid‑handling hardware for pharmaceutical manufacturing in microgravity, enduring hypersonic reentry, and returning to Earth for material extraction.

The role covers the full payload lifecycle from concept through design, build, test, launch, on‑orbit operation, recovery, and iteration for future missions, collaborating with pharmaceutical scientists and

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware.
• Strong mechanical and fluid systems expertise with breadth in at least one adjacent discipline such as avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, or instrumentation.
• Experience delivering hardware for rigorous environments such as aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, or biotech manufacturing.
• Experience with valves, pumps, pistons, tubing, manifolds, fittings, seals, filters, sensors, and thermal-control hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own pharmaceutical manufacturing payloads from concept through design, integration, launch, in-orbit operation, reentry, and recovery.
• Lead the design of precision fluid systems including valves, pumps, pistons, manifolds, tubing, fittings, seals, filters, sensors, and thermal-control systems.
• Independently perform fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanism analyses (hand calcs, Python/MATLAB models, and FEA as needed).
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware to characterize flow rate, mixing, filtration, sealing, leak rate, pressure drop, thermal stability, contamination sensitivity, and reliability.
• Integrate cross-functional inputs from business development, pharmaceutical science, and spacecraft subsystem teams into payload requirements.
• Develop subsystem requirements, ICDs, verification plans, test reports, and recovery procedures.
• Lead continuous improvement and incorporation of lessons learned.
• Mentor entry-level engineers and interns.

Skills

Mechanical systems

Fluid systems

Cross-functional

Analytical thinking

Education

BS/BEng in Mechanical

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, is actively seeking a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer to develop first‑of‑its‑kind electromechanical fluid‑handling hardware for pharmaceutical manufacturing in microgravity, enduring hypersonic reentry, and returning to Earth for material extraction.

The role covers the full payload lifecycle from concept through design, build, test, launch, on‑orbit operation, recovery, and iteration for future missions, collaborating with pharmaceutical scientists and