Senior Structures Engineer

<div class="content-intro"><h2><span data-contrast="none">About Varda</span></h2> <p>Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. <strong>Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.</strong></p> <p>From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.  </p> <p>Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.  </p> <p>Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. </p> <p>Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.</p></div><h2> </h2> <h2><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">About this Role</span></h2> <p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Varda is seeking an experienced Senior Structures Engineer to join our team. In this position, you will be responsible for the design, analysis, build and test of primary and secondary structures for Varda's new spaceflight structures and reentry vehicles. We are looking for engineers who thrive on solving complex problems, can operate effectively in a fast-paced environment, and share our passion for advancing in-space industry. The structures team supports a diverse range of projects and responsibilities -- this includes the design and development of spaceflight structures, mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE), and basic spacecraft mechanisms, as well as the mechanical needs of other teams across the company.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This is a full-time, exempt position located at our El Segundo headquarters.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Responsibilities</span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in;" type="disc"> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Derive hardware requirements and perform initial design trades given open-ended problem statements and stakeholder input.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Evaluate the impact of hardware design decisions on packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads to ensure the best system-level solution.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Own all aspects of hardware delivery, both technical and administrative.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Use hand calculations, finite element analyses, and computer-aided designs (CAD) to ensure all hardware meets or exceeds requirements.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Design and execute development and qualification testing.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Develop tooling to support hardware integration and testing.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Technical mentorship of junior engineers. </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Basic Qualifications</span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in;" type="disc"> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline with 5+ years of experience in related applications (e.g., structures for automotive, aircraft, spacecraft, etc.).</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Strong first principles thinking with a deep understanding of structural design, analysis, and testing.</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ability to perform appropriate structural analyses to demonstrate that a structure design meets or exceeds requirements (e.g., Hand Calcs, Ansys, Femap, Nastran, etc.).</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Excellent 3D CAD skills (ideally NX) and experience translating models to production intent (detailed drawings, work instructions, etc.).</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Experience working with revision-controlled documentation in a PLM system (Teamcenter preferred).</span></li> <li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an