Senior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer

Varda Space•El Segundo, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Varda is developing commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing and reentry capsules. The company designs, builds, and operates its W-Series vehicles in-house. This role is for an experienced spacecraft operator who will help lead on-orbit operations for Varda’s Winnie Spaceship and develop a mission operations framework. The ideal candidate is an exceptional communicator and leader who can apply cross-discipline engineering in a startup environment. The position is on-site in El Segundo, California. Employees must be U.S. persons authorized to access export-controlled technology. Varda participates in E-Verify and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, preferably Aerospace, Electrical, or Computer Science.
At least 5 years of experience in a real-time operations role on a complex, high-consequence operation.
At least 3 years of experience developing software tools in Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML.
Familiarity with spacecraft avionics, GNC, software, and thermal design practices.
Must be a U.S. person: a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Nice To Haves

At least 5 years of experience with spacecraft systems.
Previous operator experience in a leadership role.
Previous in-orbit spacecraft operations experience.
Previous experience with Git and Atlassian products.
Familiarity with ground station networks.

Responsibilities

Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead Varda’s on-orbit missions.
Own the full operations development cycle for mission-unique payloads, from creating mission profiles through execution.
Work with teams across the company to continuously improve mission operations and ensure mission success.
Automate and eliminate operational burden by building web tools.
Scale Varda’s operational capabilities to support a growing flight cadence.