About This RoleAs an Avionics Hardware Development Engineer at Varda, you will design, manufacture, test, and represent electrical components used to fly and manufacture products in space. In this role you will have immense ownership of hardware through all lifecycle phases. Get excited to deliver and test products that will go to space and back!
Some people say that you only have one chance to fly to space so you must be certain it will work. At Varda, we believe that the trip to space and back is the easiest trip our hardware takes. We stress our components above and beyond the levels it should expect to see in flight, and we investigate our failures thoroughly. Come join our team and build quality electronics that you love to see fly over and over again.
Responsibilities- Develop mixed-signal designs and shepherd them through the full product lifecycle including requirements definition, design, development, qualification, and release to production.
- Support avionics architecture trade studies, analyses, performance characterization and specification, device selection, and roadmap direction.
- Support risk analyses, design for test/manufacture/cost, and root-cause analysis of test discrepancies.
- Design electrical circuit boards.
- Collaborate on mechanical design fit, form, and function.
- Functionally test your hardware through thermal, vibe, shock, TVAC, and EMI.
- Write vehicle level integration test plans to validate for flight.
- Perform root cause analysis for test failures and develop mitigation strategies for flight risks.
- Example of Avionics Products you9ll be working on: flight computers, networking, star trackers, reaction wheels, magnetorquers, payload controllers, battery packs, solar charger, RF transceiver and decoder.
Basic Qualifications- B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineer or related field.
- 3+ years of direct experience designing electronics hardware - schematic capture, PCB layout, and board bring-up.
- Demonstrated experience designing flight hardware circuit boards - schematic capture through functional test - on programs where hardware physically flew or was qualified for flight.
- Strong sense of ownership and responsibility for components you contribute towards.
- Strong hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, function generators, benchtop digital multimeters, and power supplies.
- Understanding of analog/digital filtering, mixed-signal circuit design, analysis, and test.
- Knowledge of signal integrity, power, grounding, and general board layout principles.
- Experience programming in Python, MATLAB, or another scripting/data analysis language.
- Understanding of sensor and actuator technologies including: RTD9s, pressure transducers, DC brushless motors, solenoid valves, thermocouples, hydraulic servo valves, LVDT, RVDT, Rotary/Linear Encoders.
- Don9t worry if you don9t check 100% of these boxes... We want to meet you!
Preferred Skills and Experience- Demonstrated experience in delivering flight avionics for aircraft, launch vehicles, or other space applications.
- Schematic and layout experience using Altium Designer.
- Strong understanding and experience in environmental testing, such as vibration, shock, thermal, and TVAC.
- Direct experience in launch vehicle avionics systems integration.
- Experience with high and low speed instrumentation and data acquisition.
- Firm understanding of instrumentation, interfaces and sensors including power supplies, serial devices, switch topologies, accelerometers, and 4-20mA sensors.
Pay Range- Salary range: $110,000 - $160,000/per year
- This role is on-sitein 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 long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
BenefitsVarda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well-being, and a high-quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full-time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):
Health & Wellness- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
Financial & Retirement - Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed
Workplace Experience & Perks - Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
