Senior Fluid Systems Engineer – Spacecraft Payloads

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Relocation support

Paid time off

Stock options

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. seeks a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer on the Payload team to develop first-of-its-kind electromechanical fluid-handling hardware that manufactures pharmaceuticals in microgravity, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for material extraction.

You will own the full payload lifecycle from concept through test and on-orbit operation, collaborate with pharmaceutical scientists to translate mission objectives into qualified hardware, and mentor entry-level

Qualifications

• BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical, or related field.
• Experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware.
• Experience delivering hardware for aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or biotech environments.

Responsibilities

• Own pharmaceutical manufacturing payloads from concept through design, integration, and recovery.
• Lead design of precision fluid systems including valves, pumps, manifolds, tubing, seals, and thermal-control hardware.
• Perform fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanism analyses using hand calcs, Python/MATLAB models, and FEA as needed.
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware to characterize flow, mixing, filtration, sealing, and reliability.
• Integrate inputs from business development, pharmaceutical science, and spacecraft subsystem teams into payload requirements.
• Develop subsystem requirements, ICDs, verification plans, and recovery procedures.

Skills

Mechanical design

Fluid systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical modelling

Hardware testing

Education

BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. seeks a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer on the Payload team to develop first-of-its-kind electromechanical fluid-handling hardware that manufactures pharmaceuticals in microgravity, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for material extraction.

You will own the full payload lifecycle from concept through test and on-orbit operation, collaborate with pharmaceutical scientists to translate mission objectives into qualified hardware, and mentor entry-level