Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads
Join Varda as a Mechanisms Engineer to develop electromechanical flight hardware for space missions.
Posted by employer 1 month ago
First seen on Joblaze 1 month ago
Last verified on the company career page 8 hours ago
Skills & Technologies
What you'll build
- Own payload hardware from concept through design
- Design mechanisms and electromechanical assemblies
- Run structural, thermal, and fluid analyses
- Build and test prototypes and flight hardware
- Generate documentation for requirements and test reports
Must have
- BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering discipline
- Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics
- Hands-on experience designing and testing electromechanical hardware
- Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines
Nice to have
- Experience integrating electromechanical actuators and sensors
- Experience using CAD (NX preferred) and FEA (Ansys, Nastran)
- Exposure to aerospace environmental testing
- Customer-facing technical communication experience
- Ability to obtain a government security clearance
Requirements
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Visa
- No sponsorship (stated in posting)
Not disclosed in this posting: years of experience.
Benefits
Joblaze summary
In the role of Mechanisms Engineer on Varda's Payload team, the engineer is responsible for developing electromechanical flight hardware that can withstand the rigors of space and reentry. Key skills include a strong foundation in mechanical principles, hands-on experience with electromechanical systems, and proficiency in CAD and FEA tools. This position is well-suited for engineers looking to expand their expertise across various disciplines while contributing to real hardware projects. Varda's team comprises industry veterans, fostering a collaborative environment focused on advancing commercial space infrastructure.
Joblaze insights
- Listed about a month ago — first seen on Joblaze September 17, 2026. Last confirmed on Varda Space's careers page November 8, 2026.
- Salary band is below the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$127,000).
- Starts above 63% of 63 comparable mid other roles in United States that list Mechanical Engineering we track (median $100,000 across 14 companies). See Mechanical Engineering salary trends
- Mechanical Engineering appears in 4.3% of 3490 comparable mid other roles in United States; FEA appears in 1% of 3490 comparable mid other roles in United States.
Quick facts
- Is the Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads role remote?
- No — this is an on-site role in El Segundo, California, United States.
- What's the salary range?
- Varda Space lists $105,000–$139,466 for this role.
- Where is the role based?
- Varda Space is hiring for this position in El Segundo, California, United States.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Aerospace Engineering, CAD, FEA, Mechanical Engineering, electromechanical hardware.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Varda Space targets mid-level candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads role at Varda Space.
From the original posting
About Varda
About this Role
As a Mechanisms Engineer on Varda’s Payload team, you will develop electromechanical flight hardware that operates in orbit, endures hypersonic reentry, and returns to Earth for inspection and iteration. You will take full-stack responsibility for payloads across both pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions—delivering flight hardware from concept through build, test, launch, and recovery.
You’ll collaborate closely with internal specialists and external partners, translate engineering requirements into flight-ready designs, and perform hands-on integration and testing to deliver hardware that flies in months, not years. This role is ideal for engineers with strong mechanical fundamentals who want to grow their breadth across thermal, fluids, avionics, software, and integration while shipping real hardware to space and back.
Responsibilities
- Own payload hardware from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery
- Design mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies
- Run structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (hand calcs, simplified models, and FEA as needed)
- Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware
- Work across avionics, software, thermal, systems, and integration teams to define interfaces and ensure compatibility
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned payloads
- Generate documentation: requirements, ICDs, procedures, test reports
- Support mission operations and post-flight teardown
- Contribute to lessons learned and continuous improvement
Basic Qualifications
- BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related engineering discipline
- Strong fundamentals in structures, heat transfer, fluids, and dynamics
- Hands-on experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
- Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience integrating electromechanical actuators, sensors, thermal control hardware and/or fluid control hardware
- Experience using CAD (NX preferred) and FEA (Ansys, Nastran)
- Exposure to aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
- Customer-facing technical communication experience
- Ability to obtain a government security clearance
Pay Range
- Salary range:
- Engineer I: $105,000 - $139,466/per year
- Engineer II: $119,543 - $152,749/per year
- This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
- Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
- You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
Standard company text repeated across Varda Space's postings is omitted here.