Harnessing)

Varda Space Industries•El Segundo, CA

13h•$181,913 - $262,763•Onsite

About The Position

As the Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Avionics / Electromechanical / Harnessing) at Varda, you will help scale production of spacecraft electromechanical assemblies, including wire harness fabrication, connector installation, electromechanical actuator integration, and cable routing. You will own manufacturing processes at the intersection of electrical and mechanical systems, ensuring builds meet quality and reliability standards. The role emphasizes documented, incremental improvements for every vehicle produced. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with offices and a production facility where its vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. This position is on-site in El Segundo, CA. The salary range is $181,913–$262,763 per year. The role is eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Requirements

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience is considered (typically 6–10+ years).
At least 6 years of manufacturing experience with electromechanical assemblies in electronics, aerospace, defense, or another high-reliability industry.
Demonstrated experience with wire harness fabrication, IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards, and connector assembly, such as D-sub, circular MIL-spec, and coax connectors.
Strong first-principles thinking and ability to trace build defects to root causes and develop durable fixes for relevant electrical and mechanical problems.
Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and connector pinouts.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills, including comfort working directly with technicians on the production floor.
Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs., bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods.
Must meet the stated U.S. person eligibility requirement for access to export-controlled items.

Nice To Haves

M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Embedded Systems, Microelectronics, RF, or Control Systems, or a related discipline.
Experience with spacecraft or launch vehicle electromechanical integration in a production environment, rather than only a prototype environment.
Familiarity with ESD control practices, grounding and bonding requirements, and cleanliness protocols for flight hardware.
Experience writing or revising work instructions and MRB dispositions for electromechanical non-conformances.
Knowledge of cable routing in complex vehicle structures with thermal, vibration, and EMI constraints.
Hands-on experience with automated wire processing equipment or harness board tooling.
Background transitioning electromechanical assemblies from engineering development to rate production.
Experience with PDM/PLM systems such as Windchill, Teamcenter, or Arena for configuration control of electrical BOMs.
Prior work at a small-to-mid-size aerospace company, with experience wearing multiple hats and owning outcomes end-to-end.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end manufacturing and assembly processes for Varda payload systems, including pharmaceutical processing hardware, experiment modules, and customer-furnished payload equipment.
Develop and maintain work instructions, assembly travelers, process specifications, and acceptance test procedures for payload fabrication and integration operations.
Serve as the primary manufacturing interface for payload customers, translating customer requirements and ICD constraints into executable production processes.
Implement contamination control, cleanliness, and handling protocols for sensitive payload hardware, including pharmaceutical-grade and precision optical components.
Collaborate with payload design engineers to provide DFM and DFA feedback on assembly accessibility, connector placement, thermal interface design, and testability.
Define and execute payload acceptance testing, functional verification checkouts, and pre-integration inspections; maintain complete and traceable build records.
Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for payload non-conformances; coordinate MRB dispositions with design engineering and, where applicable, payload customers.
Coordinate payload integration milestones with the vehicle integration team, ensuring payload readiness gates align with the overall vehicle build schedule.