Varda Space Industries
Space Firmware Engineer, Safety-Critical C++ Systems
About this role
Varda seeks a Space Firmware Engineer to develop safety-critical C++ firmware for spacecraft, satellite buses, and reentry capsules operating in low Earth orbit. You will own the full software lifecycle from requirements and design through testing and flight operations, ensuring reliable and available systems for commercial space infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Develop reliable firmware controlling spacecraft, satellite bus, and reentry capsule operations throughout the mission lifecycle
- Own all phases of software development including design, testing, and integration
- Capture requirements and conduct design trades for open-ended problems
- Write structured bare metal, RTOS, or Linux-based C++ software for embedded processors
- Build highly reliable and available software systems for safety-critical applications
- Perform software verification, validation, and testing to ensure system quality and performance
What they're looking for
- C++ development with strong language fundamentals
- Real-time embedded systems and hardware/software integration
- Safety-critical software development for aerospace applications
- Software testing, verification, and validation (V&V) techniques
- Bare metal, RTOS, and Linux embedded programming
- Requirements capture and systems design
- Computer architecture and operating systems knowledge
- Python or Rust programming (preferred)
Benefits
- Competitive salary ($131,000–$184,000 annually)
- On-site work at El Segundo headquarters with production facility access
- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge commercial space infrastructure
- Team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and major technology 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 firmware for safety-critical aerospace or spacecraft systems and the V&V processes you followed.
- Walk us through a complex embedded systems project where you owned design through testing—what challenges did you face?