Varda Space
Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Propulsion)
$182K–$263K
El Segundo, California, United States · Principal · Full-time · Posted Oct 26, 2026
- Experience
- 6+ years of relevant manufacturing experience; degree qualification typically refers to 6–10+ years of equivalent professional experience.
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience.
- Visa sponsorship
- Must be a U.S. person: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual admitted as a refugee or granted asylum, because of access to export-controlled items.
About the job
Own and improve propulsion manufacturing processes to scale production of consistent, concurrent spacecraft builds, from tube-shop operations through acceptance testing.
What you'll do
- Own propulsion production processes, including valve assembly, tube fabrication, pressure vessel integration, and engine integration; maintain work instructions and process specifications.
- Improve production cadence and work-cell flow, and enforce cleanliness, contamination-control, and propellant-compatibility requirements.
- Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for propulsion defects; define tooling and test equipment needs and resolve hardware quality issues with design and supply-chain teams.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience (typically 6–10+ years).
- 6+ years of manufacturing experience with propulsion systems, fluid systems, or high-pressure hardware in aerospace or a related industry.
- Hands-on experience with tube fabrication, tube bending, tube fitting installation, and high-pressure fluid system assembly.
- Familiarity with propulsion cleanliness and contamination-control practices; experience interpreting engineering drawings, P&IDs, and fluid-system assembly models.
Nice to have
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Fluid Mechanics, Process Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Experience manufacturing propulsion systems for launch vehicles, spacecraft, or hypersonic vehicles; high-pressure testing, NDE, welding, or production transitions are also valued.
Pay
USD 181,913 - USD 262,763 per year (base salary)
Tools
P&IDs, NDE, ultrasonic testing, dye penetrant, xray, orbital welding, additive manufacturing
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative