Space Structures Engineer - Hands-on Hardware + Equity

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term cash awards

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a motivated Structures Engineer to join our team. You will support design, analysis, testing, and integration of structural components for spaceflight systems and reentry vehicles, working with experienced engineers on real hardware.

This full-time, on-site role offers growth in a fast-paced environment, exposure to CAD/FEA tools, and opportunities to contribute to pivotal aerospace projects at the frontier of space and pharma industries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline with 1+ years of experience.
• Strong first principles thinking with an understanding of structural design, analysis, and test.
• Ability to perform appropriate structural analyses to demonstrate that a structure design meets or exceeds requirements (e.g., Hand Calcs, Ansys, Femap, Nastran).
• Familiarity with 3D CAD software (ideally NX).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn and work on hands‑on hardware projects.
• Excitement about making history at the forefront of both the space and pharmaceutical industries.

Responsibilities

• Derive hardware requirements and perform initial design trades given open-ended problem statements and stakeholder input.
• Evaluate the impact of hardware design decisions on packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads to ensure the best system-level solution.
• Own all aspects of hardware delivery, both technical and administrative.
• Use hand calculations, finite element analyses, and computer-aided designs (CAD) to ensure all hardware meets or exceeds requirements.
• Design and execute development and qualification testing.
• Develop tooling to support hardware integration and testing.

Skills

Structural design

Finite element analysis

3D CAD (NX)

Hand calculations

Communication skills

Hands-on hardware

Eagerness to learn

Python

Matlab

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Ansys

Femap

Nastran

NX CAD

Teamcenter

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a motivated Structures Engineer to join our team. You will support design, analysis, testing, and integration of structural components for spaceflight systems and reentry vehicles, working with experienced engineers on real hardware.

This full-time, on-site role offers growth in a fast-paced environment, exposure to CAD/FEA tools, and opportunities to contribute to pivotal aerospace projects at the frontier of space and pharma industries.