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Senior Spacecraft Build Reliability Engineer

Varda Space Industries · El Segundo, CA

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Level
Senior
Team
Reliability
Base pay
$140k–$179k
Degree
Required
Experience asked
5+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
Today

The role in 30 seconds

A senior reliability role at Varda Space Industries (aerospace & defense) in El Segundo, CA. Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create test, manufacturability, and inspection plans for all vehicle hardware.

They ask for
5+ years · degree required
Tools it names
Lean, Root cause, SPC, FMEA, APQP, Control plans
Base pay
$140k–$179k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

How this role compares

Against 87 other live reliability postings in California.

Base pay
About 21% above similar roles

Typical $111k–$153k, from 49 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Typical (5+ years)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Root cause 80%
  • New product launch 50%
  • ✓ FMEA 50%
  • Automation 40%
  • ✓ DOE 30%
  • ✓ SPC 25%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Casting, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 5+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Reliability team at Varda Space Industries

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Varda Space Industries in El Segundo

13 other open roles at this site.

All 14 roles at Varda Space Industries →
Full description from Varda Space IndustriesAs posted on their careers site.Show

Responsibilities

  • ◆Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams to create test, manufacturability, and inspection plans for all vehicle hardware.
  • ◆Contain suspect or known non-conforming product, providing guidance to quality inspectors, technicians, shop supervisors, and engineers.
  • ◆Lead failure investigations in production, test, and operation; identifying and mitigating immediate and underlying root causes to reduce risk and improve the reliability of designs and processes.
  • ◆Provide critical peer review of hardware during design reviews and acceptance and qualification test campaigns.
  • ◆Perform failure modes and effects analyses, build

requirements

compliance matrix tools, and ensure adequate test coverage, change management, and manufacturability of flight hardware.

  • ✓Own vehicle level deliverables for regulatory bodies including

requirements

compliance, functional or flight hazard analyses, and verification evidence.

  • ✓Support Mission Assurance's vehicle level risk management and identification/tracking/execution of mitigations.

Basic

Qualifications

  • ✓Bachelor's degree in aerospace, computer science, electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, or material sciences engineering.
  • ✓5+ years professional experience in aerospace, design, quality, or related engineering role.
  • ✓Hands-on hardware test, qualification, troubleshooting, or failure analysis experience.
  • ✓Commitment to lean quality principles without compromising safety or reliability.
  • ✓Demonstrated application of process controls in high volume manufacturing, test, and quality environments.
  • ✓Experience generating, processing, and/or analyzing data for production insight.
  • ✓Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with a drive to innovate and improve reliability in cutting-edge technology.

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • ✓Full project lifecycle ownership experience (cradle-to-grave).
  • ✓Proficiency with quality tools such as measurement systems analysis, design of experiments, statistical process control, root cause analysis and corrective action, advanced product quality planning (APQP), metrology, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem-solving approaches.
  • ✓Hands-on knowledge of CNC machining, additive manufacturing, casting, welding, fastening, or other special manufacturing processes.

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).

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About Varda

Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.

Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.

Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

About This Role

The Senior Spacecraft Build Reliability Engineer partners closely with the design and manufacturing teams to right-size processes and controls to enable scaling the production of spacecraft hardware. Build Reliability Engineers ensure production processes yield verified, reliable hardware at rate. You will flex beyond Build Reliability to support Quality, Flight Reliability, and Mission Assurance. The ideal candidate is a responsible, collaborative, process-oriented engineer with hands-on hardware design/test/manufacturing/troubleshooting experience.

Pay Range

  • •Salary range: Senior: $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.

ITAR

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