Space Payload I&T Engineer: End-to-End Missions

Varda Space Industries, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Relocation support

401(k) retirement plan

Cell phone reimbursement

Stock options

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Payload Systems Integration and Test Engineer to own end-to-end mission success for a portfolio of payloads, including both internal and hosted customer payloads.

You will define interfaces, plan integration and test campaigns, coordinate in-orbit operations, and ensure safe data and hardware recovery. This role bridges payloads with the Varda vehicle, requiring cross-disciplinary collaboration, hands-on integration, and test execution

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, Chemical, Systems Engineering, or other relevant field.
• 2+ years of experience integrating and testing spacecraft, payloads, or comparably complex electro-mechanical hardware.
• First-principles problem solving and broad system-level thinking.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a cleanroom with critical flight hardware.

Responsibilities

• Act as responsible engineer for assigned payloads from initial scoping through post-flight data delivery, for both in-house pharma payloads and hosted customer payloads.
• Work with payload providers to scope and define payload-to-vehicle interfaces, capture requirements in ICDs and coordinate any special accommodations or vehicle changes with related engineering disciplines.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for external payload customers throughout the mission lifecycle (early-stage scoping through deorbit and recovery).
• Plan and execute payload-level integration and test activities, including incoming inspection, functional checkouts, and environmental testing (vibration, EMI/EMC, TVAC), plus payload-specific verifications such as leak testing or pharmaceutical process testing.
• Coordinate with Vehicle I&T engineers to plan & execute full-vehicle test activities (e.g., payload installation, system compatibility & vehicle-in-the-loop mission scenario testing).
• Identify, document, troubleshoot, and resolve technical issues that arise during integration and test activities.
• Work with mission operations engineers to define payload flight operations, command sequences, and operations procedures, and support on-console operations as needed to accomplish mission objectives.
• Drive lessons learned from each mission into interface documentation, payload accommodation guides, and integration processes.

Skills

Spacecraft integration

Systems engineering

First-principles thinking

Strong communication

Hands-on cleanroom work

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

GSFC-STD-7000

SMC-S-016

TVAC

EMI/EMC testing

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Payload Systems Integration and Test Engineer to own end-to-end mission success for a portfolio of payloads, including both internal and hosted customer payloads.

You will define interfaces, plan integration and test campaigns, coordinate in-orbit operations, and ensure safe data and hardware recovery. This role bridges payloads with the Varda vehicle, requiring cross-disciplinary collaboration, hands-on integration, and test execution