Senior Mission Design Engineer

Vardaspace; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO policy

100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match

Job summary

Vardaspace in El Segundo, California is looking for a Senior Mission Design Engineer to lead mission planning and orbital mechanics development for commercial reentry vehicles. The role emphasizes trajectory design within a fast-paced startup environment.

The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of relevant experience and will work closely with vehicle engineering teams. They will be responsible for designing and optimizing trajectories, ensuring precision landing and safe reentry. This position offers diverse project responsibilities and a chance to shape the future of in-space industry.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven experience or PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge in designing orbital trajectories or aerospace guidance systems.
• Strong programming skills, especially in C++/Python.

Responsibilities

• Perform trajectory design and optimization for next generation space vehicles.
• Design spacecraft trajectories and produce orbital analyses.
• Conduct Monte Carlo analysis for system reliability.

Skills

Teamwork skills

6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation

Trajectory design and optimization

Mission specific analysis

Education

B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field

Tools

C++

Python

Matlab

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

We are seeking a highly talented, self-motivated Senior Mission Design Engineer (you may also know this as trajectory design, flight dynamics, or astrodynamics) to join our rapidly growing startup. As part of our larger Autonomous Systems team, you will have the technical leadership opportunity to create, design and implement full-cycle mission planning and orbital mechanics profiles for future reentry vehicles, unlocking the future of space factories with rapid flight and entry for next generation products.

You will work closely with a top-notch multidisciplinary vehicle engineering team to architect the mission plan and trajectory of the world’s first commercial reentry vehicle, enabling the ability to precision land and return manufactured products to earth. You’ll own and develop modeling and simulation infrastructure and tooling to help ensure trajectory design and reentry profile are accurate, reliable, and safe. You will own the full cycle of mission planning and orbital dynamics development, from requirements definition and design to mission planning and on-orbit and reentry operations. We are looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex and open-ended problems, can work effectively in a fast-paced environment and share our passion in creating in-space industry.

Responsibilities

• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for the reentry of a next generation space vehicle
• Design spacecraft trajectories and produce orbital analyses for commercial reentry vehicles
• Optimize trajectories based on fuel, time, and/or performance characteristics
• Work closely with propulsion, software and flight operations teams to ensure vehicle and mission objectives are accomplished in the vehicle design
• Design and implementation of autonomous satellite navigational solutions, collision avoidance, orbital rendezvous, and atmospheric re‑entry algorithms
• Running Monte Carlo analysis to characterize performance of new features
• Lead the development of new vehicle capabilities
• Develop and maintain ground‑based mission operations tooling in support of automated and scalable on‑orbit operations
• Support in-orbit operations as trajectory specialist, including coordination with other spacecraft operators and 3rd party entities

Required Skills

• Teamwork skills are necessary to solve problems in a collaborative environment
• Ability to scope projects including requirements capture and initial design trades given open‑ended problems
• Develop 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation using C++ and Python
• Perform trajectory design, optimization, and dispersion analysis for the reentry of a space capsule
• Mission specific analysis for customer launch and in support of business development

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field
• 5+ proven years of experience, or PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying orbital trajectories or aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems
• Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python/Matlab
• Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
• Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high‑fidelity external simulations
• Proven system engineering and configuration management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Understanding of multi‑body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics
• Experience developing and verifying physical models for the purpose of control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation
• Experience supporting flight test or flying spacecraft
• Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean software development techniques
• Experience with project management for cradle‑to‑grave projects
• Prior work in a technical leadership role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
• Prior work in a startup or agile development environment
• Capability to solve complex problems autonomy as an individual or as a member of an integrated team
• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry

Pay Range

• Salary range: $170,000 - $200,000 per year
• This role is on‑site in El Segundo, CA
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job‑related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for long‑term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long‑term cash awards

Benefits

Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):

Health & Wellness

• Flexible PTO policy +12 paid holidays
• 100% company‑paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer‑matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start‑up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20 per pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

• Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
• Company and team‑bonding events, happy hours and mission‑success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging
• Dog‑friendly office space

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 the E‑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.