Varda Space
Senior Propulsion Engineer - Hardware and Bus Systems
$140K–$179K
El Segundo, California, United States · Senior · Full-time · Posted Oct 7, 2026
- Experience
- 3+ years required; equivalent professional experience is considered for the degree requirement (typically 3–6+ years). Preferred: 6+ years.
- Education
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience considered.
- Visa sponsorship
- Must be a U.S. person permitted to access the company’s technology without an export license: a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.
About the job
Owns the design, analysis, testing, upgrade, and in-flight operation of propulsion systems and hardware across Varda’s satellite-bus fleet.
What you'll do
- Maintain propulsion technical baselines and documentation; design, analyze, and test flight hardware and components.
- Develop propulsion performance analyses, tools, requirements, and procedures; support future vehicle architecture and cross-team planning.
- Lead propulsion operations, anomaly investigations, corrective actions, and technical reviews; mentor junior engineers.
What they ask for
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience considered.
- 3+ years of hands-on spacecraft or launch-vehicle propulsion or fluid-systems definition, design, build, and test.
- Deep working knowledge of flight fluid-system hardware and proficiency reading and authoring P&IDs.
- CAD and PLM proficiency; experience authoring and executing ground-test or flight operational procedures, including console operations.
Nice to have
- 6+ years of spacecraft or launch-vehicle propulsion experience, including satellite-bus architectures.
- Python or spreadsheet automation, FEA, GD&T, spacecraft propellants, operational experience, 1D fluid modeling, or technical mentoring.
Pay
USD 140,333 – 179,314 per year (base salary)
Tools
Python, ANSYS, NASTRAN, CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, GFSSP, REFPROP
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative