About This Role

There are many products that improve the quality of life on Earth that can only be manufactured in space. Our job at Varda is to make those products and bring them back down. We at Varda are proud to expand the economic bounds of humankind.

Here, you’ll have the opportunity to work at the intersection of ambition and experience. Our team has deep experience in aerospace and tech. They have honed their crafts in the trenches of major companies. Your work will be valued and evaluated by proven leaders who have chosen to apply their talents to manufacturing in space.

While our vision is big, the steps to get there are technically reasonable and operationally feasible. Our conops are clear and use cases have been proven out over decades of ISS-based research and development.

Join Varda to help leverage space for business.

Responsibilities

• Own, drive and develop the high level mission operations concept of operations, implementation, verification and readiness
  • Partner with organizations within Varda to ensure all systems required for successful mission are on track and partnered
  • Own mission operations readiness across the company in preparation for flight, including operator training and mission rehearsals
• Architect, implement and verify procedures, software and software interfaces to operate the mission in flight
  • Partner with software, site reliability and IT teams to ensure end to end system operates as expected
• Build and maintain the primary tools and real-time interfaces used to execute regular spacecraft operations.
  • Develop and implement methods of operational automation, to reduce day-to-day operator responsibilities
  • Take full ownership of the entire lifecycle of software, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, continuous improvement, and supporting end-users
• Perform duties of lead technical authority during mission operations for both the space and ground segments
  • Focal for customer and internal leadership during critical mission activities
• Provide oversight of nominal on-orbit operations for Varda’s entire fleet of on-orbit and reentry vehicles
  • Monitor health of on-orbit vehicles to ensure any required operator action can be taken safely, as well as any automation or configuration for said monitoring
• Design, architect and implement the operator to ground interface, including command and control, mission planning, mission data processing, and the associated infrastructure to support all activities.
  • Partner closely with Avionics/RF and Software teams to ensure hardware and software feature requirements are designed and implemented as required
  • Own integrated pre-launch ground segment tests to ensure full end to end integrated system operates as planned
• Build secure and resilient software to protect our operations

Basic Qualifications

• Own, drive and develop the high level mission operations concept of operations, implementation, verification and readiness
  • Partner with organizations within Varda to ensure all systems required for successful mission are on track and partnered
  • Own mission operations readiness across the company in preparation for flight, including operator training and mission rehearsals
•  Architect, implement and verify procedures, software and software interfaces to operate the mission in flight
  • Partner with software, site reliability and IT teams to ensure end to end system operates as expected
• Build and maintain the primary tools and real-time interfaces used to execute regular spacecraft operations.
  • Develop and implement methods of operational automation, to reduce day-to-day operator responsibilities
  • Take full ownership of the entire lifecycle of software, including rolling out to operations, managing configurations, continuous improvement, and supporting end-users
• Perform duties of lead technical authority during mission operations for both the space and ground segments
  • Focal for customer and internal leadership during critical mission activities
• Provide oversight of nominal on-orbit operations for Varda’s entire fleet of on-orbit and reentry vehicles
  • Monitor health of on-orbit vehicles to ensure any required operator action can be taken safely, as well as any automation or configuration for said monitoring
• Design, architect and implement the operator to ground interface, including command and control, mission planning, mission data processing, and the associated infrastructure to support all activities.
  • Partner closely with Avionics/RF and Software teams to ensure hardware and software feature requirements are designed and implemented as required
  • Own integrated pre-launch ground segment tests to ensure full end to end integrated system operates as planned
• Build secure and resilient software to protect our operations

Preferred Skills And Experience

• At least two years of leadership experience
• Experience supporting flight test or flying spacecraft
• Ability to continuously manage risk and provide solutions with lean software development techniques
• Experience with external customer briefing/interfacing
• Deep knowledge of satellite systems engineering, including all satellite subsystems
• Guidance, Navigation, and Control; Electrical Power; Thermal Control; Telemetry, Tracking, and Command; Propulsion; etc
• Experience with project management for cradle-to-grave projects
• Experience building, maintaining, or releasing containerized applications or applications hosted in cloud production environments
• Basic understanding and debugging skills relating to network stack protocols
• Enjoys end-user facing roles for support and interfacing with cross-functional teams
• Ability to work quickly and accurately in fast-paced environment during critical launch and mission operations
• Prior work in a technical leadership role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort
• Prior work in a startup or agile development environment
• Capability to solve complex problems autonomy as an individual or as a member of an integrated team.
• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry

Additional Requirements

• Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs. for duties such as delivering computers, unpacking and rack-mounting equipment, etc.

Pay Range

• Salary range: $120,000 - $180,000
• 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 long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan