Senior Mission Operations Engineer Verified today
About Varda
Varda is building commercial space infrastructure for in-orbit pharmaceutical processing and reliable reentry capsules. Varda's W-Series vehicles, payloads, heat shields, and satellite buses are designed, built, and operated in-house. We are accelerating the orbital economy by creating both products and infrastructure to bring space manufacturing benefits to Earth.
The Role
As Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you are an experienced spacecraft operator who will fully own on-orbit operations for our Winnie Spaceship. You will develop a unique mission framework for operations in space, apply cross-discipline engineering to solve problems, and lead a growing operational capability.
Responsibilities
- Develop, coordinate, execute, and lead Varda's on-orbit missions
- Own the full ops development cycle for mission-unique payloads, from mission profile creation through execution
- Work with cross-functional teams to continuously improve mission operations and ensure mission success
- Automate and eliminate operational burden by building webtools
- Scale up Varda's operational capabilities to support a growing flight cadence
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, preferably Aerospace, Electrical, or Computer Science
- 5+ years of experience in a real-time operations role on a complex, high-consequence operation
- 3+ years of experience developing software tools in Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML
- Familiarity with Avionics, GNC, Software, and Thermal design practices for spacecraft
Preferred Skills and Experience
- 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
Compensation and Location
Salary range: $140,333 to $179,314 per year. Leveling and base salary are determined by job-related skills, education, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
This role is onsite in El Segundo, CA.
Benefits
Varda offers comprehensive benefits for full-time employees including flexible PTO plus 12 paid holidays, 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance with FSA and employer-matched HSA options, $120/month wellness reimbursement, 12 weeks of parental leave, 401(k) with 6% employer match, equity incentives, $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement, relocation support, fully stocked kitchen with daily lunch and twice-weekly dinner, company events, and complimentary EV charging.
ITAR and US Person Requirement
Varda employees have access to export-controlled items. We only hire "US persons" permitted to access our technology without an export license. US person means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).