Thermal Hardware and Test Engineer II

About this role

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 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-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

Benefits

Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):

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)

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