Senior Spacecraft Flight Safety Systems Engineer

Varda Space Industries; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Relocation assistance

Stock options

Job summary

Varda Space Industries seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead mission safety and reentry compliance. You will head the Flight Safety Assurance within the Mission Assurance team, guiding safety analyses and regulatory licensing strategies.

You will own FHA/FMEA, casualty modeling, and debris risk analyses, ensuring regulatory safety across flight phases and real-time operations. This role requires cross-functional collaboration and strong communication with regulators and executives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, systems engineering or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant aerospace engineering experience, with a previous role involving mission assurance, flight safety, or a senior systems engineering role.
• Experience with FAA Part 450, expected casualty modeling, trajectory dispersion, and/or debris analysis.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and present to executives/customers/regulators.
• Strong experience with risk management methodologies and tools (FMEA, FHA, Fault Tree Analysis).
• Experience with integration of interdisciplinary systems in the aerospace industry.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical regulatory strategy, Means of Compliance, and safety cases for FAA launch and reentry authorizations.
• Own vehicle-level FHA and FMEA.
• Maintain Expected Casualty and debris risk models to ensure all mission phases meet regulatory safety thresholds.
• Establish technical safety limits and mission rules for real-time on-console operations.
• Responsible for vehicle-level deliverables to regulatory organizations, in the service of mission reentry licenses and authorizations.
• Act as the Flight Safety responsible engineer during mission rehearsals and live recovery operations.

Skills

Regulatory strategy

Flight Safety

FHA

FMEA

Risk management

Cross-functional communication

Leadership

Education

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

Job description

Varda Space Industries seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead mission safety and reentry compliance. You will head the Flight Safety Assurance within the Mission Assurance team, guiding safety analyses and regulatory licensing strategies.

You will own FHA/FMEA, casualty modeling, and debris risk analyses, ensuring regulatory safety across flight phases and real-time operations. This role requires cross-functional collaboration and strong communication with regulators and executives.