Senior Space Structures Engineer — Reentry & Flight Hardware

Varda Space Industries, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Company-paid health insurance

Relocation assistance

Stock options

401(k) with company match

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior Structures Engineer to lead design, analysis, build, and test of primary and secondary structures for spaceflight and reentry vehicles.

The role emphasizes solving complex problems in a fast-paced environment, with a focus on hardware delivery and cross-team collaboration at our El Segundo HQ. The candidate should have strong first principles thinking, extensive structural analysis experience, and proficiency in CAD (NX) and PLM

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering with 5+ years in related structures work.
• Strong understanding of structural design, analysis, and testing.
• Experience with hand calcs and FEA tools (Ansys, Femap, Nastran).
• Excellent 3D CAD skills (NX) and production-ready drawings.
• Proficient with revision-controlled PLM documentation (Teamcenter).
• Clear written and verbal communication; interdisciplinary awareness.
• Interest in space and pharmaceutical industry history.

Responsibilities

• Derive hardware requirements and perform design trades from stakeholder input.
• Assess packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads impacts on system level.
• Own hardware delivery, both technically and administratively.
• Use hand calcs, FEA, and CAD to meet requirements.
• Design and execute development and qualification testing.
• Develop tooling for hardware integration and testing.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers.

Skills

First principles thinking

Structural analysis

3D CAD

Technical communication

Interdisciplinary breadth

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Ansys

Femap

Nastran

NX CAD

Teamcenter

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior Structures Engineer to lead design, analysis, build, and test of primary and secondary structures for spaceflight and reentry vehicles.

The role emphasizes solving complex problems in a fast-paced environment, with a focus on hardware delivery and cross-team collaboration at our El Segundo HQ. The candidate should have strong first principles thinking, extensive structural analysis experience, and proficiency in CAD (NX) and PLM