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Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Thermal Protection System (TPS)

Varda Space Industries · El Segundo, CA

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Level
Senior
Team
Manufacturing
Base pay
$140k–$203k
Experience asked
6+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
Today

The role in 30 seconds

A senior manufacturing role at Varda Space Industries (aerospace & defense) in El Segundo, CA. Hands-on experience with ablative or reusable TPS materials: PICA, AVCOAT, SLA-561, cork composites, ceramic tiles, or equivalent.

They ask for
6+ years
Tools it names
Root cause, GD&T, Robotics, Tooling
Base pay
$140k–$203k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

It asks for 6+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

Lifts up to 25 lbs

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 Manufacturing 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?
    • Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
    • How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
    • 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.

About the role

Responsibilities

  • ◆Own manufacturing processes for thermal protection system production: ablative tile/panel preparation, bonding, densification, and closeout operations
  • ◆Develop and maintain detailed work instructions, process travelers, and process specifications for all TPS fabrication and installation operations
  • ◆Implement surface preparation, adhesive application, and cure cycle procedures that meet TPS bond strength and thermal performance

requirements

  • ✓Collaborate with TPS design engineers to provide DFM feedback on tile geometry, bond joint design, and tooling access for installation
  • ✓Define inspection and verification methods for TPS bonds, surface finish, and dimensional conformance; integrate quality gates into production workflows
  • ✓Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for TPS non-conformances, including bond voids, tile cracking, and surface contamination findings
  • ✓Develop and control environmental conditioning

requirements

(temperature, humidity) for TPS materials storage and processing areas

  • ✓Assess and procure TPS-specific tooling: bonding fixtures, tile templates, surface preparation tooling, and handling equipment

Basic

Qualifications

  • ✓B.S. in Materials Science, Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience (typically 3–6+ years)
  • ✓3+ years of manufacturing experience with thermal protection systems, composite materials, or advanced material bonding in aerospace or defense
  • ✓Hands-on experience with ablative or reusable TPS materials: PICA, AVCOAT, SLA-561, cork composites, ceramic tiles, or equivalent
  • ✓Experience with adhesive bonding processes, surface preparation methods, and cure cycle control for structural or TPS bonds
  • ✓Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and TPS assembly models; familiarity with GD&T as applied to complex surface geometries
  • ✓Experience writing and maintaining manufacturing process documentation for specialized materials operations
  • ✓Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs., bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods while working directly with hardware

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • ✓Direct experience manufacturing TPS for reentry vehicles, hypersonic glide vehicles, or planetary entry capsules
  • ✓Familiarity with TPS inspection methods: visual inspection, tap testing, NDE methods applicable to bonded ceramic or ablative tiles
  • ✓Knowledge of TPS material properties — ablation rates, density gradients, outgassing behavior — and their manufacturing implications
  • ✓Experience with environmental controls and material handling

requirements

for moisture-sensitive TPS materials

  • ✓Background in transitioning TPS manufacturing from bespoke development builds to repeatable, documented production processes
  • ✓Experience with robotic or semi-automated TPS tile application processes is a strong plus
  • ✓Familiarity with reentry thermal analysis and how TPS design margins translate into manufacturing quality

requirements

  • ✓Prior work at a company with demonstrated reentry or hypersonic vehicle flight heritage

Requirements

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfu

Show full description ↓

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

As the Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Thermal Protection System (TPS) at Varda, you will own the manufacturing processes for the ablative and insulative materials that protect our reentry capsules during the most demanding phase of the mission- reentry. TPS manufacturing is one of the most technically specialized disciplines in aerospace, requiring deep expertise in ablative material processing, bonding, tiling, and surface preparation. You will develop and maintain the processes that ensure every capsule's heatshield is built to survive reentry conditions, working at the frontier of materials science and production engineering. This is a rare opportunity to own a critical, high-visibility manufacturing domain at a company that is already demonstrating reentry capability on orbit. This role is open at the L2 and Senior level, with levels determined based on candidate experience.

Pay Range

  • •Salary Range: $140,333 - $202,703/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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