Senior Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer (Equity Options)

Telemetry Today LLC; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 182,000 - 263,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, based in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Principal Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer to scale production from bespoke vehicles to concurrent builds. You will own propulsion manufacturing, lead process improvements, and work with design and supply chain to resolve issues.

The role emphasizes cleanliness, testing, and qualification of high-pressure systems, with on-site collaboration across teams to increase cadence and reliability.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical/Manufacturing or equivalent experience (6–10+ years).
• 6+ years of manufacturing experience with propulsion or high-pressure hardware.
• Hands-on experience with tube fabrication, bending, fitting, and assembly.
• Familiarity with propulsion cleanliness and contamination control procedures.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, P&IDs, and fluid system models.
• Strong problem-solving; diagnose propulsion build defects and drive corrective action.
• Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs and stand for extended periods.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end manufacturing processes for propulsion system production: valve assembly, tube fabrication, pressure vessel integration, and engine integration.
• Develop and maintain work instructions, process traveler documents, and process specifications for high-pressure fluid systems and propulsion hardware.
• Provide technical direction to improve propulsion build processes and drive increased vehicle production cadence.
• Implement and enforce propulsion-specific cleanliness protocols, contamination control procedures, and propellant compatibility requirements.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions (RCCA) for propulsion non-conformances, including leak events and assembly defects.
• Define tooling and test equipment requirements for tube shop operations, leak checks, and propulsion acceptance testing.
• Collaborate with design engineers and supply chain to prevent schedule delays and resolve incoming hardware quality issues.
• Refine propulsion work cell layouts and product flow to support cadence increase and concurrent vehicle builds.

Skills

Manufacturing experience

Tube fabrication

Engineering drawings

Problem solving

Physical endurance

Education

B.S. in Mechanical/Manufacturing

MS in Mechanical Engineering (preferred)

Job description

Varda Space Industries, based in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Principal Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer to scale production from bespoke vehicles to concurrent builds. You will own propulsion manufacturing, lead process improvements, and work with design and supply chain to resolve issues.

The role emphasizes cleanliness, testing, and qualification of high-pressure systems, with on-site collaboration across teams to increase cadence and reliability.