About this Role

As the Thermal Hardware and Test Engineer II, you will be responsible for hardware design, build, and test for ground and spacecraft thermal and fluid systems. This is a hands-on role, spanning mechanical, electrical, fluid, and control disciplines with opportunities to innovate at every stage: concept, fabrication, instrumentation, and commissioning. You will be responsible for developing active and passive thermal control systems, such as heat pipes, pumped fluid loops, thermal switches, etc. as well as the supporting infrastructure for testing and data-processing.

Day-to-day responsibilities will be focused in thermomechanical hardware and system sizing, CAD design, fabrication, testing, instrumentation, and troubleshooting. Successful candidates thrive on solving hard problems, adapting to dynamic requirements, and collaborating across multiple domains. You will gain significant ownership, see your contributions rapidly come to life, and help us uphold the highest standards of performance, reliability, and safety in our hardware. If expanding the capability of in-orbit manufacturing to serve life-changing products to patients sounds intriguing, this role is for you. This role is open at the Eng II level, with levels determined based on candidate experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end development of thermal hardware and test infrastructure: concept, design, fabrication, integration, validation, and maintenance
• Develop active and passive thermal control systems with thermal analysis engineers for payload and vehicle thermal control
• Inform manufacturing and integration of thermal/fluid hardware onto the vehicle
• Conduct component level acceptance and qualification thermal vacuum tests
• Evaluate the impact of hardware design decisions on packaging, thermal, environmental, and loads to ensure the best system-level solution
• Architect and assemble fluid, thermal, mechanical, and electrical designs, test rigs, and fixtures that support a broad range of development activities
• Implement instrumentation and data acquisition (DAQ) solutions, integrating sensors, transducers, actuators, PLCs, and embedded controllers
• Generate documentation for procedures, schematics, reports for ground test and flight hardware
• Apply first-principles thinking to diagnose issues, resolve anomalies, and optimize equipment reliability to >99% uptime

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience (typically 1-3+ years)
• 3+ years of experience and knowledge applying engineering principles to thermal design, test, and fabrication in a manufacturing environment
• Proficiency in detailed thermal analysis in Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT
• Experience anchoring thermal models to test and/or flight data
• Experience in planning and executing Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVac) testing
• Experience in MATLAB (or equivalent) for data processing and task automation
• Familiarity with thermal margins and qualification test requirements in SMC-S-016
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Hands-on fabrication skills: basic machining, welding, or rapid prototyping.
• Experience in thermal analysis tools: Thermal Desktop, ANSYS
• Proven track record of formal project management and delivering results in a fast-paced environment.

Pay Range

• Salary Range: Eng II: $119,543- $152,749/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

Consider your benefits covered for launch. At Varda, we invest in benefits and perks that support your health, financial well-being, and life beyond work. Benefits vary by position, with packages designed specifically for our regular full-time employees and interns.

Regular Full-Time Positions:

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

Intern Positions:

Health & Wellness

• Paid observed holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial

• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
• Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible

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