Senior Space Systems Engineer, Flight Safety & Reentry

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term cash awards

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Senior Space Systems Engineer to lead the primary architecture for mission safety and reentry compliance. You will drive the Flight Safety Analysis and regulatory strategy for FAA Part 450 licensing, bridging engineering and regulatory teams to ensure compliant, safe flight operations.

Join a cross-functional team in El Segundo, contributing to cutting-edge space infrastructure while guiding safety-critical analyses and live operations with rigor and clarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, systems engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of aerospace engineering with mission assurance or flight safety.
• Experience with FAA Part 450 and expected casualty modeling.
• Strong communication and cross-functional influence.
• Experience with FMEA, FHA, and Fault Tree Analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own regulatory strategy and safety cases for FAA launch and reentry.
• Own FHA and FMEA at vehicle level.
• Maintain casualty and debris risk models to meet safety thresholds.
• Set technical safety limits and mission rules for on-console ops.
• Deliver vehicle-level regulatory deliverables for licenses.
• Serve as Flight Safety engineer during rehearsals and live operations.

Skills

Communication skills

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, systems engineering or related field

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Senior Space Systems Engineer to lead the primary architecture for mission safety and reentry compliance. You will drive the Flight Safety Analysis and regulatory strategy for FAA Part 450 licensing, bridging engineering and regulatory teams to ensure compliant, safe flight operations.

Join a cross-functional team in El Segundo, contributing to cutting-edge space infrastructure while guiding safety-critical analyses and live operations with rigor and clarity.