Senior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer

Telemetry Today LLC; 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 in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer to own on-orbit operations for Winnie Spaceship. You will coordinate cross-disciplinary teams, lead mission profiles from concept to execution, and ensure mission success in a fast-paced startup environment.

The role requires a strong background in real-time spacecraft operations, aerospace systems, and hands-on leadership, with opportunities to automate workflows and scale operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline required; aerospace, electrical, or CS preferred.
• 5+ years in a real-time operations role on complex, high-consequence systems.
• Familiarity with avionics, GNC, software, and thermal design for spacecraft.
• Demonstrated leadership in operator roles and ability to own on-orbit operations.

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead on-orbit missions.
• Own the full ops development cycle for mission-unique payloads.
• Collaborate across teams to improve mission operations and ensure success.
• Automate operations by building web tools.
• Scale operations to support a growing flight cadence.

Skills

Leadership in ops

Real-time operations

Cross-team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace / Electrical / CS

Tools

Git

Atlassian tools

Ground stations networks

Job description

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

TheSenior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer is an experienced spacecraft operator. They are exceptional communicators, adept leaders, and a jack-of-all trades capable of applying cross-discipline engineering to bespoke solutions. An ideal candidate is someone passionate to work in a startup environment where you will have the opportunity to fully own on-orbit operations for our Winnie Spaceship and mold a unique new mission framework for operations in space.

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead Varda's on-orbit missions.
• Own the full ops development cycle for mission-unique payloads, from the creation of mission profiles through execution.
• Work with teams across the company to continuously improve upon mission operations and ensure mission success.
• Automate and eliminate operational burden by building webtools.
• Scale up Varda's operational capabilities to support a growing flight cadence.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, preferably Aerospace, Electrical, or Computer Science.
• 5+ years of experience in a real time operations role on a complex and high consequence operation.
• Familiarity with Avionics, GNC, Software, and Thermal design practices for spacecraft.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of experience with spacecraft systems.
• Previous operator experience in a leadership role.
• Previous in-orbit spacecraft operations experience.
• Previous experience with Git and Atlassian products.
• Familiarity with ground stations networks.

Pay Range

• Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year.
• 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.

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
“US person” means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).

E-Verify Statement

Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.