Spacecraft Build Reliability Lead

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation assistance

Equity incentive plan

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Build Reliability Engineer to partner with design and manufacturing teams to right-size processes and controls for scalable spacecraft hardware production. You will support Quality, Flight Reliability, and Mission Assurance with hands-on hardware test, troubleshooting, and data-driven improvements.

The role emphasizes process discipline, root-cause analysis, and robust verification across the vehicle program, with stock options and a strong

Qualifications

• 5+ years in aerospace, design, quality, or related engineering role.
• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, or materials engineering.
• Commitment to lean quality principles without compromising safety or reliability.
• Hands-on hardware test, qualification, troubleshooting, or failure analysis experience.
• Experience applying process controls in high-volume manufacturing, test, and quality environments.
• Experience generating, processing, and/or analyzing data for production insight.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with a drive to innovate and improve reliability.

Responsibilities

• Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create test, manufacturability, and inspection plans for all vehicle hardware.
• Contain suspect or known non-conforming product, providing guidance to quality inspectors, technicians, shop supervisors, and engineers.
• Lead failure investigations in production, test, and operation; identifying and mitigating root causes to improve reliability.
• Provide critical peer review of hardware during design reviews and acceptance/test campaigns.
• Perform FMEA, build requirements compliance matrix tools, and ensure adequate test coverage and change management.
• Own vehicle level deliverables for regulatory bodies including requirements compliance and hazard analyses.
• Support Mission Assurance's vehicle level risk management and mitigations tracking/execution.

Skills

5+ years aerospace/engineering

Lean quality principles

Hands-on hardware test/qualification

Data analysis for production insight

Interpersonal and collaborative skills

Process controls in high-volume prod

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace or related engineering

Tools

Measurement systems analysis

Design of experiments

Statistical process control

PFMEA

APQP

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Build Reliability Engineer to partner with design and manufacturing teams to right-size processes and controls for scalable spacecraft hardware production. You will support Quality, Flight Reliability, and Mission Assurance with hands-on hardware test, troubleshooting, and data-driven improvements.

The role emphasizes process discipline, root-cause analysis, and robust verification across the vehicle program, with stock options and a strong