Director, Mechanisms Engineering - Pharmaceutical Payloads at vardaspace | AI Job Board

Job 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 Director, Mechanisms Engineering - Pharmaceutical Payloads at Varda, you will build and lead the team responsible for Varda's in-orbit pharmaceutical manufacturing payloads—the core of Varda's commercial business. This role combines deep technical authority with team leadership, product definition, and development execution responsibility. You will own the successful development and flight of precision electromechanical fluid-handling systems that process and crystallize pharmaceutical compounds in microgravity—then survive hypersonic reentry and return to Earth for product recovery and hardware iteration. The payloads your team designs, builds, and flies will directly determine whether in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing becomes a commercial reality.

You will build and grow a team of payload engineers responsible for individual pharmaceutical payload missions while also owning the technical definition and evolution of Varda's pharma payload product line. This includes defining the system architecture, fluid system design philosophy, and development approach, and establishing the engineering standards and processes that enable reliable execution as Varda scales in both cadence and scope.

You'll expand Varda's pharmaceutical payload capability to a scaled, repeatable product line—building the team, technical standards, and development processes to get there.

This role is ideal for a technically exceptional leader who wants to build an elite team and own the first ever industrial manufacturing capability in space from strategy through execution.

Responsibilities

Build and lead a team of payload engineers, each responsible for executing individual pharmaceutical payload missions
Mentor engineers and develop future technical and people leaders
Own the pharmaceutical payload development roadmap—expanding Varda's pharmaceutical product portfolio, driving design iteration from flight data, and scaling mission cadence
Own pharmaceutical payload engineering execution against company goals and customer contracts, including schedule, cost, and technical performance
Manage a portfolio of concurrent payload development efforts and recurring mission executions, ensuring schedule, technical performance, and engineering quality across the portfolio
Define and maintain standards for payload design, analysis, integration, testing, mission execution, documentation, and project management
Work closely with avionics, software, thermal, systems, integration, and vehicle teams to define payload interfaces and constraints
Standardize processes for environmental test campaigns, mission operations, post-flight hardware inspection, and anomaly resolution
Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned and feedback from flight programs

Basic Qualifications

BS/BEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Biomedical, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline
10+ years of experience designing, integrating, testing, and delivering complex electromechanical hardware involving precision fluid handling
3+ years of experience leading teams through full-cycle hardware development
Experience with electromechanical fluid systems in high-reliability or extreme environments (space, life support, medical devices, semiconductor process equipment, bioprocess systems)
Breadth across at least two adjacent hardware disciplines (e.g., avionics, mechanisms, software, structures, thermal, optics, test, etc.)
Demonstrated ability to set technical direction and deliver results through other engineers
Track record managing multiple concurrent engineering development efforts
Experience establishing and enforcing technical and programmatic standards across teams
Exceptional communication ability with diverse technical and executive audiences

Preferred Skills and Experience

Professional or academic exposure to chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, or a related process engineering discipline
Experience building, scaling, or managing hardware engineering teams
Experience owning technical roadmaps or standardized hardware product offerings
Experience developing or operating hardware for pharmaceutical, bioprocess, or sterile/cleanroom manufacturing applications
Familiarity with microgravity fluid behavior, capillary-driven flows, or two-phase fluid management
Familiarity with cGMP principles or regulated hardware environments
Significant experience planning and executing environmental testing (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC)

Pay Range

Salary range: $200,000 - $250,000/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)
Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
$20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

Varda, 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.

“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).

E-Verify Statement

Varda 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.

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