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Varda Space

In-orbit manufacturing with reentry return services

Manufacturing Engineer 2 - Thermal Protection Systems

Manufacturing EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeEl Segundo, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • A Bachelor of Science in Materials Science, Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline, is required; equivalent professional experience is also considered, typically 1–3+ years.
  • At least 1 year of manufacturing experience with thermal protection systems, composite materials, or advanced material bonding in aerospace or defense is required.
  • Hands-on experience with ablative or reusable thermal protection system materials such as PICA, AVCOAT, SLA-561, cork composites, ceramic tiles, or equivalent is required.
  • Experience with adhesive bonding processes, surface preparation methods, and cure cycle control for structural or thermal protection system bonds is required.
  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and thermal protection system assembly models is required, along with familiarity with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing as applied to complex surface geometries.
  • Experience writing and maintaining manufacturing process documentation for specialized materials operations is required.
  • Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 pounds, bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods while working directly with hardware.

Responsibilities

  • Own manufacturing processes for thermal protection system production, including ablative tile and panel preparation, bonding, densification, and closeout operations.
  • Develop and maintain detailed work instructions, process travelers, and process specifications for all thermal protection system fabrication and installation operations.
  • Implement surface preparation, adhesive application, and cure-cycle procedures that meet thermal protection system bond-strength and thermal-performance requirements.
  • Collaborate with thermal protection system design engineers to provide design-for-manufacturing feedback on tile geometry, bond-joint design, and tooling access for installation.
  • Define inspection and verification methods for thermal protection system bonds, surface finish, and dimensional conformance, and integrate quality gates into production workflows.
  • Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for thermal protection system non-conformances, including bond voids, tile cracking, and surface-contamination findings.
  • Develop and control environmental conditioning requirements, including temperature and humidity, for thermal protection system materials storage and processing areas.
  • Assess and procure thermal-protection-system-specific tooling, including bonding fixtures, tile templates, surface-preparation tooling, and handling equipment.

Desired Qualifications

  • Direct experience manufacturing thermal protection systems for reentry vehicles, hypersonic glide vehicles, or planetary entry capsules.
  • Familiarity with thermal protection system inspection methods, including visual inspection, tap testing, and non-destructive evaluation methods applicable to bonded ceramic or ablative tiles.
  • Knowledge of thermal protection system material properties, including ablation rates, density gradients, and outgassing behavior, and their manufacturing implications.
  • Experience with environmental controls and material-handling requirements for moisture-sensitive thermal protection system materials.
  • Background transitioning thermal protection system manufacturing from bespoke development builds to repeatable, documented production processes.
  • Experience with robotic or semi-automated thermal protection system tile application processes.
  • Familiarity with reentry thermal analysis and how thermal protection system design margins translate into manufacturing quality requirements.
  • Prior work at a company with demonstrated reentry or hypersonic vehicle flight heritage.

About the Company

Varda Space

In-orbit manufacturing with reentry return services

Varda Space Industries provides in-space manufacturing by operating production facilities in low Earth orbit and returning finished goods to Earth using reentry capsules. Clients send materials or designs to Varda’s in-orbit production line, where microgravity enables manufacturing processes not possible on Earth. After production, capsules re-enter Earth's atmosphere to deliver goods back to customers, supported by in-orbit equipment and reliable reentry systems. The company aims to make low Earth orbit accessible for multiple industries by building end-to-end space manufacturing infrastructure and industrializing orbit for commercial use.

Company size
201-500
Company stage
Series D
Total funding
$609.5M
Headquarters
El Segundo, CA
Founded
2020

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