Manufacturing Engineer (Propulsion)

Varda Space Industries • El Segundo, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

As a Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer at Varda, you will have the opportunity to utilize your experience to scale manufacturing from a few bespoke vehicles to many consistent, concurrent builds. This role would support propulsion system production, including valve assembly, tube fabrication, pressure vessel integration, and engine integration. The Propulsion ME owns manufacturing processes for high-pressure fluid systems and propulsion hardware from tube shop operations through acceptance testing. Manufacturing Engineers will be a vital part in increase Varda's build cadence working directly with design engineers and technicians for a broad array of processes (structures, thermal protection systems, propulsion, and avionics components) required to manufacture our vehicles. The focus of the job is to implement incremental improvement for every vehicle Varda produces.

Requirements

• B.S. degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering
• 1-4+ years of manufacturing experience
• Teamwork, communication (verbal and written), and problem solving in a collaborative environment
• Proven experience working on complex technical programs, preferably within aerospace or related industries
• Strong first principles thinking
• Hands-on experience building complex vehicles
• Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs.
• Must be comfortable bending, stooping, and standing
• Hands-on position may require standing and working directly with hardware on the floor

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of aerospace vehicle systems
• Experience with project management of the full lifecycle of a project
• Experience transitioning complex assemblies from development to production, including developing the factory systems and floor layouts to make that possible
• Experience with aerospace hardware development practices (e.g., qualification testing practices, cleanliness, ESD, grounding, etc.)
• Experience across structures, propulsion, materials/thermal protection systems, and/or avionics production
• Prior work in a technical role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
• Experience with tooling design and analysis using 3D CAD software
• Experience using factory layout design tools (e.g. SketchUp, Autodesk, Draw.io, etc...)

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction to improve build processes to scale and hit increase vehicle cadence
• Collaborate with other engineers and technicians to solve large-scale production challenges
• Refine floor layouts, capacity models, and product flow analysis
• Develop and implement standardized processes for vehicle integration
• Assess cost of increasing work cell capabilities and proposing plans to increase internal capabilities
• Proactively coordinate with technicians team and supply chain to prevent schedule delays
• Review work instructions to make change recommendations when required and identify tooling/training gaps
• Identify and resolve non-conformance issues - implement root cause corrective actions

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: Entry Level