Varda Space Industries
Space Mission Operations Engineer II
About this role
Varda seeks an experienced Mission Operations Engineer II to lead on-orbit spacecraft operations for their Winnie vehicle, managing the complete mission development lifecycle from payload integration through execution. This role requires someone who can own full operational responsibility, coordinate cross-functional teams, and scale Varda's growing flight cadence while automating operational workflows.
What you'll do
- Develop, coordinate, and execute on-orbit missions for Varda spacecraft
- Own complete ops development cycle for mission-unique payloads from planning through execution
- Collaborate across engineering teams to improve mission operations and ensure success
- Build web-based tools to automate and reduce operational workload
- Scale operational capabilities to support increasing flight frequency
What they're looking for
- Real-time spacecraft operations in complex, high-consequence environments
- Python, JavaScript, and/or HTML software development
- Avionics, GNC, software, and thermal design for spacecraft
- Spacecraft systems engineering and integration knowledge
- Leadership and team coordination in mission-critical contexts
- Ground station network operations
- Git and Atlassian tools proficiency
Benefits
- Flexible PTO policy plus 12 paid holidays
- Stock options and/or long-term cash awards
- On-site work in El Segundo, California facility
- Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
- Opportunity to shape new mission operations framework
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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 operating complex spacecraft systems in real-time and how you've handled critical mission decisions.
- Walk us through a specific mission profile you've developed end-to-end—what were the biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?