Director of Avionics Hardware Development

Varda Space Industries • El Segundo, CA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

About Varda 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. 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. Director of Avionics Hardware Development About the Role As Director of Avionics Hardware Development, you will own all electrical hardware design, build, and test across every avionics subsystem - RF, Power, GNC, Compute, and I/O - for Varda's satellite bus, reentry capsule, and pharmaceutical payloads. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team of engineers through the full product lifecycle: from feasibility and architecture through prototype development, qualification, manufacturing, and flight. This is a hands-on leadership role where your technical judgment and strategic decision-making directly determine mission success.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience developing electronic hardware for mission-critical applications in harsh environments (space, aviation, defense, or robotics)
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing multi-disciplinary hardware engineering teams (5+ direct/indirect reports)
• Deep technical fluency across at least three of: power electronics, compute, RF, mixed-signal design, or GNC sensor and actuators
• Track record driving hardware through the full product lifecycle - from requirements and architecture through qualification, manufacturing, and operations
• Experience with environmental test campaigns (thermal cycling, TVAC, vibe, shock, EMI/EMC) and space qualification standards

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a high-cadence aerospace organization
• Hands-on experience with spacecraft avionics systems - flight computers, power distribution, RF communications, GPS, IMUs, reaction wheels, or similar
• Experience scaling a hardware team or product line from prototype to production volumes

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end avionics hardware development program across all subsystems (RF, power electronics, digital/compute, GNC sensors and actuators, I/O, and harnessing)
• Drive hardware from concept through schematic and layout review, prototyping, environmental qualification (thermal, vibe, shock, TVAC, EMI), and flight acceptance
• Define the hardware and technology roadmap - maximize reuse, drive common circuit implementations across subsystems, and increase development speed through simplification
• Establish and enforce design rules, review gates, and development processes that ensure consistency and quality as the team and mission cadence scale
• Collaborate cross-functionally with flight software, GNC, structures, thermal, integration & test, and mission operations to define system architecture and resolve interface challenges
• Anchor hardware designs to derived requirements and engineering objectives, perform trades and analyses (link budgets, power models, EMC assessments) to retire risk early
• Hit Varda production milestones to maintain and increase mission cadence
• Build and advocate for infrastructure to support environmental testing, component qualification, and manufacturing at scale
• Develop robust work instructions, test software suites, and reliable test execution to transition designs from development to repeatable, high-rate production
• Grow and lead the avionics hardware team - recruit top talent, set team structure, and allocate resources to meet company objectives
• Mentor engineers at all levels, investing in their technical development and career growth
• Foster a collaborative, high-ownership culture where engineers operate with autonomy and urgency

Benefits

• Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
• 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
• Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
• Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
• Lunch and snacks provided on site every day.
• Dinners provided twice a week.
• Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director