Varda Space Industries
Firmware Engineer
About this role
Varda seeks a Firmware Engineer to develop and maintain critical flight software for spacecraft, satellite buses, and reentry capsules operating in low Earth orbit. You'll own the complete software lifecycle—from requirements and design through testing and orbital operations—ensuring reliable, real-time control systems for commercial space infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Develop and maintain reliable firmware controlling spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operations throughout missions
- Own full software development cycle including design, testing, integration, and verification/validation
- Capture requirements and perform design trades for open-ended spacecraft control problems
- Write structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based embedded software in C++ for flight processors
- Build highly reliable and available systems with rigorous quality assurance
- Provide flight operational support and troubleshooting for deployed spacecraft
What they're looking for
- C++ programming with deep language understanding
- Real-time embedded systems development and testing
- Safety-critical software design and practices
- Spacecraft or aerospace software experience
- RTOS and bare metal programming
- Software verification and validation techniques
- Computer architecture and operating systems
- Python or Rust (preferred)
Benefits
- Salary range: $131,000–$184,000 annually
- On-site role in El Segundo, California with company production facility
- Work on mission-critical space infrastructure projects
- Team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and leading tech companies
- Backing from top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund
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Varda Space Industries
Varda Space Industries builds commercial spacecraft and orbital manufacturing systems for missions in low Earth orbit, including reentry capsules and satellite buses. The company is hiring mission operations engineers, software engineers (ground segment, flight, and embedded), and manufacturing engineers to develop mission-critical systems, operational infrastructure, and scalable production capabilities.
- Website
- varda.com
Likely interview questions
- Describe your experience developing safety-critical firmware for aerospace or similar high-reliability systems. What processes did you use to ensure reliability?
- Walk us through a complex real-time embedded project you owned end-to-end. How did you approach requirements, design trades, and verification?