Senior Space Flight Software Engineer Verified today
About Varda
Varda is accelerating commercial space infrastructure development. We build, design, and operate 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 enabling manufacturing in orbit.
About This Role
The Senior Space Flight Software Engineer determines how our spacecraft behaves and operates in orbit. You will build reliable software across all development phases, from requirements capture through testing and flight operational support.
Responsibilities
- Develop reliable flight software that determines how the spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operate throughout the entire mission.
- Write quality structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based software for embedded processors in C++.
- Own all aspects of software development: design, testing, and integration.
- Scope projects including requirements capture and initial design trades given open-ended problems.
- Ensure system quality and performance through software test, verification, and validation techniques.
- Collaborate with team members to solve problems and communicate effectively.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering, or equivalent technical experience in safety-critical software.
- 5+ years of experience developing spacecraft or similar safety-critical software.
- Experience with C++ development and strong understanding of the language concepts.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- End-to-end experience building and launching a spacecraft.
- Experience developing and testing real-time embedded systems.
- Experience with safety-critical software for aerospace applications.
- Experience with CCSDS telemetry and telecommand systems.
- Experience with F' or cFS framework.
- Experience with Python or Rust.
- Knowledge of basic analog and digital electronics.
- Familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, or EtherCAT.
Compensation and Location
Salary range: $169,067 - $216,031 per year. This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA. You will be eligible for stock options and/or long-term cash awards. Base salary and leveling determined by job-related skills, education, experience, and performance.
Benefits
Full-time positions include flexible PTO plus 12 paid holidays, 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents, $120 monthly wellness reimbursement, 12 weeks parental leave, 401(k) with 6% immediate employer match, daily lunch and twice-weekly dinner, and complimentary EV charging at our El Segundo facility.
Work Authorization
Varda requires all employees to be lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. and comply with export control regulations. We hire only "U.S. persons" as defined by law: U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, or individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum. Varda participates in E-Verify.