Varda Space
Principal Fluid Systems Engineer - Payloads
$182K–$232K
El Segundo, California, United States · Principal · Full-time · Posted Sep 17, 2026
- Experience
- 7+ years required; 3+ years of cross-functional project leadership preferred.
- Education
- BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical, or related engineering discipline.
- Visa sponsorship
- Only hires U.S. persons permitted to access the technology without an export license; defined as U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum.
About the job
Leads the design and development of precision fluid-handling payloads for pharmaceutical manufacturing in microgravity, from requirements and architecture through testing, flight operation, recovery, and future iterations.
What you'll do
- Define payload requirements, architecture, development plans, and fluid-system design standards.
- Lead teams developing, analyzing, building, and testing precision fluid systems and flight hardware.
- Coordinate cross-functional inputs, establish technical documentation and verification practices, and mentor engineers.
What they ask for
- BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical, or a related engineering discipline.
- 7+ years designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware.
- Deep mechanical and fluid systems expertise, plus breadth in at least two adjacent disciplines.
- Track record leading project teams through full-cycle electromechanical space flight hardware development.
Nice to have
- 3+ years of cross-functional project leadership experience.
- Relevant precision fluid-handling leadership, aerospace environmental testing, or familiarity with microgravity fluids, cGMP, cleanrooms, or regulated hardware.
Pay
USD 181,913 - USD 232,444 per year (base salary)
Tools
Python, MATLAB, FEA
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative