Senior Fluid Systems Engineer - Spacecraft Pharma Payloads

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

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Medical, Dental & Vision insurance

Wellness reimbursement

Parental leave

Relocation support

One Medical membership

Cell phone reimbursement

401(k) match

HSA options

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer to advance electromechanical 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 on-orbit operation, collaborating with scientists and engineers across disciplines to translate objectives into qualified hardware that flies on short timelines.

Qualifications

• BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical, or related engineering discipline
• 4+ years designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
• Breadth in adjacent disciplines such as avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, etc.
• Experience delivering hardware for aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, or biotech manufacturing
• Experience with valves, pumps, pistons, tubing, manifolds, fittings, seals, filters, sensors, metering hardware, thermal-control hardware
• Ability to independently define tasks, manage schedules, and deliver integrated hardware
• Excellent cross-disciplinary communication skills

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 design

Fluid systems

Electromechanical hardware

Finite element analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS in Mechanical or related field

Tools

P&IDs

Fluid modeling

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking a Senior Fluid Systems Engineer to advance electromechanical 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 on-orbit operation, collaborating with scientists and engineers across disciplines to translate objectives into qualified hardware that flies on short timelines.