Senior Mission Operations and Automation Engineer @ Varda Space

About Varda

The environment of space hold the potential to craft products that profoundly enhance life on Earth. Varda is at the forefront of this endeavor, harnessing the unique environment of low earth orbit to produce these innovations and reintroduce them to our world. Our mission transcends mere exploration; we’re expanding the economic horizons of humanity.

At Varda, you’ll be positioned at the nexus of ambition and expertise. Our seasoned team, with its rich legacy in aerospace and technology, has honed its skills in the corridors of industry giants. Here, your contributions will be both cherished and critiqued by leaders who, with a wealth of experience behind them, are now devoted to the realm of extraterrestrial manufacturing.

While our aspirations soar high, our path is grounded in technical pragmatism and operational viability. Our conceptual operations are crystalline material processing and reentry, backed by years of research and development anchored in the International Space Station’s, and commercial space sectors expansive achievements.

Join Varda, and work to finally create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Own, drive and develop the high level mission operations concept of operations, implementation, verification and readiness
- Partner with organizations within Varda to ensure all systems required for successful mission are on track and partnered
- Own mission operations readiness across the company in preparation for flight, including operator training and mission rehearsals
Architect, implement and verify procedures, software and software interfaces to operate the mission in flight
- Partner with software, site reliability and IT teams to ensure end to end system operates as expected
Build and maintain the primary tools and real-time interfaces used to execute regular spacecraft operations.
- Develop and implement methods of operational automation, to reduce day-to-day operator responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the entire lifecycle of software, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, continuous improvement, and supporting end-users
Perform duties of lead technical authority during mission operations for both the space and ground segments
- Focal for customer and internal leadership during critical mission activities
Provide oversight of nominal on-orbit operations for Varda’s entire fleet of on-orbit and reentry vehicles
- Monitor health of on-orbit vehicles to ensure any required operator action can be taken safely, as well as any automation or configuration for said monitoring
Design, architect and implement the operator to ground interface, including command and control, mission planning, mission data processing, and the associated infrastructure to support all activities.
- Partner closely with Avionics/RF and Software teams to ensure hardware and software feature requirements are designed and implemented as required
- Own integrated pre-launch ground segment tests to ensure full end to end integrated system operates as planned
Build secure and resilient software to protect our operations

Basic Qualifications

B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, computer, electrical engineering, physics, or related field and 6+ proven years of experience, or advanced degree with 3+ years of relevant experience
Teamwork, communication, and problem solving in a collaborative environment
Scope projects including requirements capture and initial design trades given open-ended problems
Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
Experience in using continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools
Proven system engineering and configuration management skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Working knowledge of satellite subsystems, ground systems, mission operations and concept design
Experience with real-time satellite command and control
At least one year of professional hands-on development experience with general-purpose programming languages, such as C/C++ or Python
Familiarity with configuration management tools such as Git, SVN, or Perforce

Preferred Skills And Experience

At least two years of leadership experience
Experience supporting flight test or flying spacecraft
Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean software development techniques
Experience with external customer briefing/interfacing
Deep knowledge of satellite systems engineering, including all satellite subsystems
Guidance, Navigation, and Control; Electrical Power; Thermal Control; Telemetry, Tracking, and Command; Propulsion; etc
Experience with project management for cradle-to-grave projects
Experience building, maintaining, or releasing containerized applications or applications hosted in cloud production environments
Basic understanding and debugging skills relating to network stack protocols
Enjoys end-user facing roles for support and interfacing with cross-functional teams
Ability to work quickly and accurately in fast-paced environment during critical launch and mission operations
Prior work in a technical leadership role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
Prior work in a startup or agile development environment
Capability to solve complex problems autonomy as an individual or as a member of an integrated team.
Passion for advancing the commercial space industry

Pay Range

Salary range: $120,000 - $180,000
This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan

ITAR Requirements

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than “U.S. Persons” as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to 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 in the U.S.)
Learn more about the ITAR here.

Benefits

Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field to working by your side
Working in El Segundo, CA - an awesome Southern California beach city with quick access to entertainment and outdoor activities
Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth
401(k) matching
Unlimited PTO
Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
Maternity / Paternity leave

Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

E-Verify Statement

Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

E-Verify Notice Right To Work Notice

About Varda

Responsibilities

Basic Qualifications

Preferred Skills And Experience

Pay Range

ITAR Requirements

Benefits

E-Verify Statement

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth

Benefits