{"id":2968421,"url":"https://alion.io/job/varda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems","title":"Propulsion Engineer I - Hardware and Bus Systems","company":{"id":58875,"name":"Varda Space Industries","domain":"varda.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/varda-space-industries","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":81,"open_postings":25,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.96,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":6,"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"}},"role":"Aerospace","role_family":"Aerospace","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":109148,"max":139466,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":139466},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"Nastran","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"CATIA","optional":true},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":true},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-20T22:48:21Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-20","last_verified_at":"2026-11-05T22:09:07Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":16,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":16},"description":"About Varda\nLow 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.\nFrom 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. \nOur 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. \nVarda 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. \nJoin Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.\nAbout This Role\nAs a Propulsion Engineer I, you will be a hands-on technical owner of the propulsion subsystem and propulsion hardware across Varda's fleet of spacecraft. You will help own and maintain the system architecture, generate analysis products, perform component sizing, propulsion software tool development, data review, detailed mechanical design, subsystem test, operations, and more for vehicles both on the ground and in orbit.\nYou will take ownership of assigned hardware, subsystems, and work products within a fast-moving interdisciplinary engineering team. Your work will directly contribute to the development of current and future space vehicles key to Varda's growth. You'll thrive in a hands-on environment, building technical breadth and developing propulsion system design, production, and operational fundamentals through every project.\nResponsibilities\nSupport and maintain the Varda spacecraft propulsion system technical baseline, including P&IDs and system-level documentation\nDesign, analyze, and test Varda satellite bus propulsion flight hardware and components\nHelp execute propulsion system block upgrades on operational vehicles - inclusive of both schematic and hardware changes - to increase reliability and launch cadence\nSupport requirements definition for future Varda vehicles; contribute to project plans, roadmaps, and milestones\nGenerate propulsion performance analysis products and document key requirements (propellant budgets, pressure ladders, fluid component sizing, structural & thermal limits, and more); deliver your outputs as key inputs to GNC, Mission Operations, Thermal, and other cross-disciplinary partner teams\nBuild Python scripts and spreadsheet tools to automate recurring analysis and test data review workflows\nExecute detailed mechanical design of propulsion hardware and fluid system components; perform structural analysis using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools\nAuthor and review design documentation, engineering specs, build/integration/test procedures, and engineering memos\nSupport in-flight propulsion operations, including on-console support under senior engineer oversight\nDisposition hardware nonconformances; support anomaly investigations and contribute to corrective actions\nBasic Qualifications\nBS. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline; equivalent professional experience considered\nExperience in hands-on propulsion or fluid systems design, build, and/or test for spacecraft or launch vehicles (including internship, coursework, or project experience)\nWorking knowledge of flight fluid system hardware: pressurized components, tubing, fittings, seals, valves, and instrumentation\nAbility to read P&IDs; experience authoring P&IDs is a plus\nProficiency with CAD tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or other) and PLM software\nExperience authoring or executing operational procedures for ground test or flight campaigns\nDemonstrated ability to take ownership of assigned technical tasks and drive them to resolution\nPreferred Skills and Experience\n1+ year of spacecraft or launch vehicle propulsion experience, including familiarity with satellite bus-level propulsion architectures (monopropellant, bipropellant, cold gas systems). Graduate coursework included\nExperience building Python, MATLAB, or other scripts or spreadsheet tools to automate recurring propulsion analysis or data review workflows\nExposure to structural analysis using ANSYS, NASTRAN, or equivalent FEA tools applied to propulsion or fluid system hardware\nFamiliarity with technical drawing review and GD&T per ASME Y14.5 standards\nExposure to high-pressure fluid systems and spacecraft-grade propellants including cryogenic, hypergolic, or high-test peroxide systems; awareness of cleanliness, handling, and safety requirements\nTest, launch site, or in-flight operational experience on spacecraft or launch vehicles\nFamiliarity with 1D fluid modeling & analysis tools (GFSSP, REFPROP, or similar)\nStrong technical communication skills - clarity and precision in work instructions, engineering specs, and engineering memos\nPay Range\nSalary Range: $109,148 - $139,466/per year\nThis role is on-site in El Segundo, CA\nLeveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance\nYou will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards\nITAR Requirements\nVarda, 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.\n“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).\nE-Verify Statement\nVarda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.\nE-Verify Notice Right To Work Notice\nRead more Read more\nVarda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7415,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-21T01:07:50Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":11,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.315,"p_room":0.35,"age_days":15,"expected_fill_days":6,"reasons":["conf:4","stale_co","velocity","win:tail","comp:junior,brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":139466,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/varda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/varda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-05T23:23:55Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4715,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":58875},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=58875"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvarda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvarda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvarda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/varda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvarda-space-industries-propulsion-engineer-i-hardware-and-bus-systems"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":2968421}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"varda.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":2968421},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}