Manufacturing Engineer (Mechanisms) at Varda Space… · El Segundo

Summary: Varda is a company focused on developing commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing. As a Mechanisms Manufacturing Engineer, you will be responsible for scaling manufacturing processes and supporting pharmaceutical payload manufacturing in a regulated environment, working closely with design engineers and technicians to enhance production efficiency. Responsibilities: - Provide technical direction to improve build processes to scale and hit increase vehicle cadence - Collaborate with other engineers and technicians to solve large-scale production challenges - Refine floor layouts, capacity models, and product flow analysis - Develop and implement standardized processes for vehicle integration - Assess cost of increasing work cell capabilities and proposing plans to increase internal capabilities - Proactively coordinate with technicians team and supply chain to prevent schedule delays - Review work instructions to make change recommendations when required and identify tooling/training gaps - Identify and resolve non-conformance issues - implement root cause corrective actions Required Qualifications: - B.S. degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering - 1-4+ years of manufacturing experience - Teamwork, communication (verbal and written), and problem solving in a collaborative environment - Proven experience working on complex technical programs, preferably within aerospace or related industries - Strong first principles thinking - Hands-on experience building complex vehicles - Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs - Must be comfortable bending, stooping, and standing - Hands-on position may require standing and working directly with hardware on the floor Preferred Qualifications: - Knowledge of aerospace vehicle systems - Experience with project management of the full lifecycle of a project - Experience transitioning complex assemblies from development to production, including developing the factory systems and floor layouts to make that possible - Experience with aerospace hardware development practices (e.g., qualification testing practices, cleanliness, ESD, grounding, etc.) - Experience across structures, propulsion, materials/thermal protection systems, and/or avionics production - Prior work in a technical role for a launch vehicle or satellite development effort - Experience with tooling design and analysis using 3D CAD software - Experience using factory layout design tools (e.g. SketchUp, Autodesk, Draw.io, etc.) Required Skills: Manufacturing Engineering, Cleanroom Assembly, Equipment Qualification, Process Development, Aerospace Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Process Engineering, Structures Manufacturing, Thermal Protection Systems, Propulsion Systems, Avionics Components, Root Cause Corrective Actions, 3D CAD Software, Factory Layout Design Benefits: You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards, Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded), 401(k) matching (interns excluded), Unlimited PTO (interns excluded), Health insurance, including Vision and Dental, Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week., Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)