About This Role

As the Senior Contracts Specialist at Varda, you will negotiate complex, first-of-kind agreements at the forefront of the commercial space industry.

Our Mission Management team sits at the heart of an operation unlike anything in the industry, manufacturing in orbit and returning products to Earth at hypersonic speeds. You'll own first-of-kind agreements spanning microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing, hypersonic reentry vehicles, and novel government space programs, working directly with the Contracts Manager to turn audacious science into executable contracts that make it all possible.

This is a rare opportunity for a contracts professional who wants their work to matter. As a critical member of a lean, high-impact team, you'll manage the full contract lifecycle, from pre-award strategy and proposal support through negotiation, FAR/DFARS compliance, export-control management, and post-award execution, across both government and commercial customers. Your attention to detail and cross-functional communication will directly determine how fast Varda can move.

Responsibilities

• Represent Varda to customers and serve as the counterpart contracting officer for both government and commercial missions
• Lead or support contract negotiations with our customers, while establishing and maintaining a positive working relationship
• Efficiently remove blockers to contract signature while protecting the company's interests
• Provide comprehensive contract support and coordination across teams to ensure mission management, operations, proposals, sales, product, and leadership teams are informed of, and are in compliance with signed contracts and regulations
• Efficiently manage the contract closeout process, including final deliveries, payments, and resolving outstanding issues
• Manage compliance efforts with government contracts and regulatory entities, including in particular the FAR, DFARS, and export-control regulations
• Create and maintain contract and business files
• Efficiently manage the contract closeout process, including final deliveries, payments, and resolving outstanding issues
• Advise management of their rights and obligations under the contracts
• Review, and provide recommendations on all types of contracts and agreements as needed
• Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of contracts and agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, contracts, customer agreements, and partnership agreements

Basic Qualifications

• BA/BS degree in law, business, finance or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience
• A minimum of 4-6 years of hands-on experience years of contract management experience with emphasis on government contract management experience
• Experience with government contract types, including Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements
• Working knowledge of government contract compliance requirements under the FAR, DFARS, and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS)
• Experience negotiating non-disclosure agreements
• Demonstrated ability to construct and deliver persuasive written and verbal arguments in a negotiation setting
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver against aggressive deadlines
• Experience with export-controlled materials and regulatory compliance under ITAR and EAR
• Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time (as needed)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance

Preferred Skills and Experience

• M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline, with specialization in Embedded Systems, Mechatronics, Control Theory, or similar fields; equivalent professional experience will be considered
• Proven experience as a lead integration engineer or integration ME on a launch vehicle, satellite, or spacecraft program, with end-to-end ownership of integration activities
• Deep familiarity with integration and test (I&T) flows for complex aerospace vehicles, including planning and executing functional testing at each integration milestone
• Demonstrated experience managing the integration of flight hardware from multiple subsystem suppliers and internal teams into a single, cohesive vehicle
• Strong background in configuration management and build record documentation within a regulated aerospace environment, ensuring traceability and compliance throughout the build cycle
• Working knowledge of cleanliness and contamination control requirements for propulsion, optical, or precision mechanism integration, with the ability to enforce standards on the floor
• Hands-on experience with vehicle handling operations, including cranes, slings, rotation fixtures, and precision alignment tooling, with a strong commitment to safety and procedural rigor
• Experience in a manufacturing environment actively scaling from single-unit builds to concurrent multi-vehicle production, with the ability to adapt processes as production tempo increases
• Experience planning and conducting integration readiness reviews (IRRs), pre-mate inspections, and post-integration functional checkouts, with the ability to identify and resolve discrepancies before they impact schedule

Pay Range

• Salary Range: Senior: $155,000 - $175,000/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 incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

Benefits

Varda 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

ITAR Requirements

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire "U.S. persons" who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.

"US person" means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).