Senior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer
About The Position
Varda is developing commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing and reentry capsules. Its W-Series vehicles—including payloads, capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses—are designed, built, and operated in-house. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, and also has offices in Washington, DC, and Huntsville, Alabama. The Senior Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer is an experienced spacecraft operator who will own on-orbit operations for Varda’s Winnie Spaceship and help shape the company’s mission operations framework. The role calls for strong communication and leadership, cross-discipline engineering skills, and the ability to develop solutions for a startup environment. This is an on-site role in El Segundo, California. The listed salary range is $140,333–$179,314 per year. The employee will also be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards. Because the role provides access to export-controlled items, Varda hires U.S. persons permitted to access its technology without an export license.
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 qualify as a U.S. person permitted to access the employer’s export-controlled technology without an export license.
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.
Benefits
- Eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
