Senior Mechanisms Engineer - Payloads

About this Role

As a Senior 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 own multi-payload missions across both pharmaceutical manufacturing and hypersonic reentry testbed missions—driving hardware from concept through design, analysis, build, test, launch, and recovery.

You’ll collaborate closely with internal specialists and external partners, translate high-level mission objectives into system designs and analyses, and perform hands-on integration and testing to deliver hardware that flies in months, not years. This role is ideal for engineers who pair strong mechanical expertise with the breadth to drive cross-functional efforts and the desire to deliver complex hardware on fast development cycles.

Responsibilities

• Own multi-payload missions from concept through design, integration, launch, reentry, and recovery
• Lead the design of mechanisms, structures, thermal/fluid interfaces, and electromechanical assemblies
• Independently perform structural, thermal, and fluid analyses (hand calcs, python/matlab models, and FEA as needed)
• Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware
• Coordinate cross-functional inputs (avionics, software, thermal, systems, integration)
• Serve as primary technical interface for multi-payload missions or complex payload development
• Drive subsystem requirements, ICDs, verification plans, and documentation
• Lead mission operations and post-flight teardown
• Lead incorporation of lessons learned and continuous improvement
• Mentor entry-level engineers and interns

Basic Qualifications

• BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, or related field
• 4+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
• Strong mechanical expertise with breadth in at least one adjacent discipline (avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, etc.)
• Experience delivering hardware into rigorous environments (aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, etc.)
• Ability to independently define tasks, manage schedules, and deliver integrated hardware
• Excellent cross-discipline communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior full cycle ownership of space flight hardware
• Experience integrating electromechanical actuators, sensors, thermal control hardware and/or fluid control hardware
• Experience planning and executing aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
• Customer-facing technical communication experience
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance

Pay Range

• Salary range: $140,333 - $179,314/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