Varda Space

Senior Fluid Systems Engineer - Pharmaceutical Payloads

El Segundo, California, United States · Senior

Work authorization required$140k-$180kDetected 14 days ago

PythonMATLABBusiness DevelopmentFEAThermal AnalysisAvionicsEMI/EMCSystems EngineeringControlsGMPMedical DevicesLeadershipCommunicationFiber Optics

About the role

Your payloads will precisely meter, mix, filter, transport, and thermally control pharmaceutical materials in compact spacecraft-compatible hardware.

Own pharmaceutical manufacturing payloads from concept through design, integration, launch, in-orbit operation, reentry, and recovery
Lead the design of precision fluid systems including valves, pumps, pistons, manifolds, tubing, fittings, seals, filters, sensors, and thermal-control systems
Independently perform fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanism analyses (hand calcs, Python/MATLAB models, and FEA as needed)
Build, instrument, and test prototypes and flight hardware to characterize flow rate, mixing, filtration, sealing, leak rate, pressure drop, thermal stability, contamination sensitivity, and reliability
Develop subsystem requirements, ICDs, verification plans, test reports, and recovery procedures
Lead continuous improvement and incorporation of lessons learned
Relocation support for new hires, if needed

4+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting electromechanical hardware
Strong mechanical and fluid systems expertise with breadth in at least one adjacent discipline such as avionics, software, thermal, optics, test, precision instrumentation, etc.
Experience delivering hardware for rigorous environments such as aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, or biotech manufacturing
Experience with valves, pumps, pistons, tubing, manifolds, fittings, seals, filters, sensors, metering hardware, thermal-control hardware, and/or compact fluidic assemblies

Prior full-cycle ownership of precision fluid-handling hardware for relevant applications
In Space: ECLSS, low-thrust propulsion, astronaut suits, spacecraft thermal control, etc.
Experience with P&IDs, fluid schematics, component sizing, pressure-drop analysis, leak testing, flow characterization, 0D/1D fluid/thermal modeling, or design of experiments for process hardware
Experience with compact systems that control small volumes of liquids or gases under thermal, cleanliness, pressure, sterility, or contamination constraints
Experience planning and executing aerospace environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)
Familiarity with microgravity fluid behavior, capillary-driven flows, gas/liquid separation, two-phase flow, cGMP principles, cleanroom practices, or regulated hardware environments

Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
$140,000 - $180,000/per year
Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
$20/pay period cell phone reimbursement

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
$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
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

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.

This listing is sourced directly from Varda Space's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.