Varda Space
Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Structures)
$182K–$263K
El Segundo, California, United States · Principal · Full-time · Posted Oct 26, 2026
- Experience
- 6+ years in structural assembly or manufacturing; the posting also cites typically 6–10+ years as equivalent professional experience for the degree qualification.
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical or Materials Engineering, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience. Preferred: M.S. in Mechanical Engineering specialized in Materials Science, Structural Analysis, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience.
- Visa sponsorship
- Policy is to hire only U.S. persons permitted to access the company’s export-controlled technology without an export license: U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum.
About the job
Own and scale manufacturing processes for structural assemblies used in Varda’s spacecraft and reentry capsules, translating design requirements into reliable production.
What you'll do
- Develop and maintain work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing travelers for structural builds.
- Provide design-for-manufacturing feedback and lead investigations and corrective actions for structural defects.
- Define production tooling and improve structural work-cell layouts and material inspection coordination.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Mechanical or Materials Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience (typically 6–10+ years).
- 6+ years of manufacturing experience with structural assembly or manufacturing.
- Hands-on structural assembly and fabrication experience, such as welding, adhesive bonding, or riveting.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T callouts, and structural assembly models; experience maintaining manufacturing process documentation and work instructions.
Nice to have
- Experience manufacturing primary flight structures and transitioning assemblies from prototype to rate production.
- Experience with 3D CAD tools (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX), first article inspection, or aerospace structural materials.
Pay
$181,913 - $262,763 per year (base salary)
Tools
CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, GD&T
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative