Varda Space
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Payloads)
$140K–$203K
El Segundo, California, United States · Senior · Full-time · Posted Oct 7, 2026
- Experience
- 3+ years; degree requirement allows consideration of equivalent professional experience (typically 3–6+ years).
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience.
- Visa sponsorship
- Only hires U.S. persons permitted to access the company’s export-controlled technology without an export license; U.S. persons are U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals admitted as refugees or granted asylum.
About the job
Own manufacturing and integration processes for Varda’s spacecraft payloads, turning design and customer requirements into production-ready builds, tests, and verified flight hardware.
What you'll do
- Develop assembly processes, work instructions, specifications, and acceptance tests; oversee payload fabrication and integration.
- Coordinate with payload customers, design teams, and vehicle integration; manage cleanliness controls, testing, build records, and readiness milestones.
- Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for non-conformances, coordinating dispositions with engineering and customers.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Mechanical, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
- 3+ years manufacturing or integrating complex electromechanical assemblies, scientific instruments, or payload systems in aerospace, defense, biomedical, or research environments.
- Experience building precision hardware to tight tolerances and cleanliness requirements; reading engineering drawings, ICDs, and assembly models; familiarity with GD&T and interface requirements.
- Experience developing and executing assembly procedures and acceptance test plans for multifunctional hardware assemblies.
Nice to have
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (specialized in Fluid Mechanics), Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Experience with spacecraft payloads, pharmaceutical or bioprocessing hardware, cleanroom integration, or environmental testing.
Pay
$140,333 - $202,703 USD per year (base salary)
Tools
ICD, GD&T, GMP, ISO Class 7, thermal vacuum, vibration, shock
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative