Senior Space Build Reliability Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term cash awards

Health insurance

Dental & Vision coverage

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Senior Build Reliability Engineer to partner with design and manufacturing teams to scale spacecraft hardware production. You will drive test, manufacturability, and inspection planning to ensure reliable output at rate.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in aerospace, hands-on hardware test, and a strong commitment to lean quality principles, process controls, and data-driven improvement. On-site role with competitive compensation and benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, computer science, electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, or materials engineering.
• 5+ years professional experience in aerospace, design, quality, or related engineering role.
• Hands-on hardware test, qualification, troubleshooting, or failure analysis experience.
• Commitment to lean quality principles without compromising safety or reliability.
• Demonstrated application of process controls in high volume manufacturing, test, and quality environments.
• Experience generating, processing, and/or analyzing data for production insight.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with a drive to innovate and improve reliability in cutting-edge technology.

Responsibilities

• Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create test, manufacturability, and inspection plans for all vehicle hardware.
• Contain suspect or known non-conforming product, providing guidance to quality inspectors, technicians, shop supervisors, and engineers.
• Lead failure investigations in production, test, and operation; identifying and mitigating immediate and underlying root causes to reduce risk and improve the reliability of designs and processes.
• Provide critical peer review of hardware during design reviews and acceptance and qualification test campaigns.
• Perform failure modes and effects analyses, build requirements compliance matrix tools, and ensure adequate test coverage, change management, and manufacturability of flight hardware.
• Own vehicle level deliverables for regulatory bodies including requirements compliance, functional or flight hazard analyses, and verification evidence.
• Support Mission Assurance's vehicle level risk management and identification/tracking/execution of mitigations.

Skills

Aerospace engineering

Hands-on hardware testing

Data analysis

Lean quality principles

Collaboration

Root cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace/engineering fields

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

The Senior Build Reliability Engineer partners closely with the design and manufacturing teams to right-size processes and controls to enable scaling the production of spacecraft hardware. Build Reliability Engineers ensure production processes yield verified, reliable hardware at rate. You will flex beyond Build Reliability to support Quality, Flight Reliability, and Mission Assurance. The ideal candidate is a responsible, collaborative, process-oriented engineer with hands-on hardware design/test/manufacturing/troubleshooting experience.

Responsibilities

• Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create test, manufacturability, and inspection plans for all vehicle hardware.
• Contain suspect or known non-conforming product, providing guidance to quality inspectors, technicians, shop supervisors, and engineers.
• Lead failure investigations in production, test, and operation; identifying and mitigating immediate and underlying root causes to reduce risk and improve the reliability of designs and processes.
• Provide critical peer review of hardware during design reviews and acceptance and qualification test campaigns.
• Perform failure modes and effects analyses, build requirements compliance matrix tools, and ensure adequate test coverage, change management, and manufacturability of flight hardware.
• Own vehicle level deliverables for regulatory bodies including requirements compliance, functional or flight hazard analyses, and verification evidence.
• Support Mission Assurance's vehicle level risk management and identification/tracking/execution of mitigations.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, computer science, electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, or material sciences engineering.
• 5+ years professional experience in aerospace, design, quality, or related engineering role.
• Hands-on hardware test, qualification, troubleshooting, or failure analysis experience.
• Commitment to lean quality principles without compromising safety or reliability.
• Demonstrated application of process controls in high volume manufacturing, test, and quality environments.
• Experience generating, processing, and/or analyzing data for production insight.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with a drive to innovate and improve reliability in cutting-edge technology.

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Full project lifecycle ownership experience (cradle-to-grave).
• Proficiency with quality tools such as measurement systems analysis, design of experiments, statistical process control, root cause analysis and corrective action, advanced product quality planning (APQP), metrology, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem-solving approaches.
• Hands-on knowledge of CNC machining, additive manufacturing, casting, welding, fastening, or other special manufacturing processes.

Pay Range

• Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ 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 incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Benefits

Consider your benefits covered for launch.

Regular Full-Time Positions

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
• Voluntaryaccident, hospital, critical illness,andpet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12weeks ofparental leave(with supplemental disability leavefor CAmothers)
• Family building, pregnancy,parentingand menopausebenefitsvia Maven Clinic
• SponsoredOne Medicalmemberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

• Substantial incentive equityin a fully funded space start-up