Principal Avionics Hardware Development Engineer Verified today

About Varda

Varda is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development. We build, design, and operate the W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, reentry capsules, C-PICA heat shields, and satellite buses. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind by creating products and infrastructure for the orbital economy.

The Role

As Principal Avionics Hardware Engineer, you will be the architect and designer of flight-critical electrical hardware for our satellite bus, reentry vehicle, and customer payloads. Examples include flight computers, satellite power systems, and sensors for navigation and monitoring pharmaceutical manufacturing.

You will define subsystem requirements based on high-level mission and company objectives, design to those requirements, and ensure the system as manufactured meets those requirements. You will define safe operating criteria and support the mission operations team on risk tradeoffs of operating near the bounds of those criteria.

Responsibilities

• PCB-level electronics design at all lifecycle stages: schematic capture, layout, design validation, fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing test
• Distil high-level company or mission objectives into requirements, designs, and developmental milestones for your subsystems
• Serve as avionics subject matter expert for satellite, reentry vehicle, and payload hardware, providing support to GNC, pharmaceutical, mission operations, and integration teams
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as flight software, thermal, GNC, and structures to determine system-level impacts of design decisions
• Own product acceptance and qualification testing for space environments (Thermal, Vibe, Shock, TVAC, EMI) with support from the Avionics Test team
• Provide direction on system-level integration test plans to verify hardware performance at vehicle level
• Perform root cause analysis on test failures and implement holistic mitigation strategies for flight risks
• Mentor junior engineers on projects, challenges, and design methodologies

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering or related engineering discipline
• 8+ years of direct experience designing electronics hardware: schematic capture, PCB layout, board bring-up, and environmental qualification across multiple hardware domains
• Demonstrated experience contributing to complex electronics systems from design to launch
• Demonstrable knowledge of signal integrity, power and grounding board layout principles
• Strong hands-on lab experience with oscilloscopes, function generators, benchtop digital multimeters, and power supplies
• Experience programming in Python, MATLAB, or another scripting/data analysis language
• Demonstrated experience implementing on-board and over-harness communication protocols such as SPI, RS422, and 1000BASE-T
• Experience designing analog/digital filtering and mixed-signal circuits
• Power electronics design experience including load switches and switch mode DC:DC converters

Preferred Skills

• Industry-leading electronic circuit design and analysis skills
• Strong knowledge in physics, math, and chemistry fundamentals for designing electronics in unique environments
• Understanding of aerospace sensor and actuator technologies: RTDs, pressure transducers, brushless motors, solenoid valves, thermocouples, stepper motors, rotary/linear encoders

Compensation and Location

Salary range: $181,913 to $262,763 per year. Leveling and base salary determined by job-related skills, education, experience, and job performance. You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

On-site in El Segundo, CA.

Benefits

Health and wellness: Flexible PTO plus 12 paid holidays. 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options. $120/month wellness reimbursement. 12 weeks parental leave. One Medical membership.

Financial and retirement: 401(k) with 6% employer match (immediately vested). $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement. Substantial incentive equity. Relocation support for new hires.

Workplace: Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner twice weekly. Company and team-bonding events. Complimentary EV charging.

ITAR Requirement

This role requires access to export-controlled items. We hire only US persons: US citizens, US lawful permanent residents, or individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum.