Manager, Manufacturing Engineering

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.

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 Space

X, 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 Role

As the Manager, Manufacturing Engineering, you will own Varda's ability to meet increasing vehicle production cadence targets. This role is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes, production layouts, and tooling to transition evolving vehicle designs into multiple concurrent builds  will lead a team of manufacturing engineers and specialists responsible for piece parts and subassemblies through final vehicle integration. Working cross-functionally with design engineering, production, and supply chain, you will ensure Varda's vehicles can be built safely and at rate to meet customer demand.

Responsibilities

* Own manufacturing engineering strategy and execution to enable increasing vehicle production cadence

* Build and lead a high performing team of manufacturing engineers and specialists

* Provide technical direction to improve team and build processes to scale toward increasing build rate

* Develop and scale manufacturing processes for evolving vehicle designs

* Partner with design engineering to improve vehicle designs for manufacturability and production scale

* Proactively coordinate with engineering and supply chain to improve the vehicle lead times and quality

* Review work instructions to make change recommendations when required and identify tooling/training gaps

* Lead the transition of hardware from development into production, with a focus on manufacturability, repeatability, quality, and throughput

* Establish manufacturing readiness plans, capacity models, and build strategies to support production targets

* Create and maintain manufacturing plans, process flows, work instructions, and build documentation

* Define equipment, tooling, and facility needs required to meet future rate goals

Basic Qualifications

* B.S. degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering (or related field).

* 8+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering of complex hardware with experience supporting final assembly and integration

* People management experience (3+ years preferred).

* 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 for up to 6 hours a day and working directly with hardware on the floor

Preferred Skills and Experience

* Knowledge of aerospace vehicle systems

* Experience with project management of the full lifecycle of a project

* Capability to solve complex problems autonomously as an individual or as a member of an integrated team

* Experience moving teams and processes from development to production

*…