Manager of Combustion Devices

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 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.

As the Manager of Combustion Devices, you will own the success of a critical subsystem within Varda's interdisciplinary engineering team. In this role you will be responsible for combustion device architecture, mechanical design, analysis products, component testing, and operations both on the ground and in orbit. You will directly lead a team of propulsion engineers to own the responsibilities of the subsystem as Varda evolves designs and adds reliability into its systems through block upgrades.

Your work will directly influence the development of future thrusters for in‑space mobility and other capabilities key to Varda’s growth. The Manager of Combustion Devices excels in technical leadership of propulsion development programs and at working cross‑functionally across engineering domains, mission assurance, production, and supply chain to establish the first routine industrial operations off our home planet.

• Own all combustion devices within the Varda propulsion team and their interfaces end‑to‑end across the engineering organization and product life cycles.
• Set the technical direction for Varda combustion devices. Expand team & subsystem capabilities through ongoing engineering developments, driving projects from concept through implementation and flight. Own thruster & related component sizing, performance, testing, qualification, and operations.
• Drive, define, and map interfaces with partner disciplines. Set team priorities, remove blockers, and ensure thorough coverage across all team deliverables as the program scales.
• Lead, grow, and hire the propulsion engineering team responsible for thruster development and operations, as well as key interfaces with GNC, structures, thermal, avionics, production, mission operations, and other partners.
• Represent the combustion devices discipline in cross‑functional forums both internally and externally, while planning and executing thruster test campaigns and in‑flight operations alongside your team.
• Define and uphold a high technical bar by informing and applying Varda's interdisciplinary engineering standards to the combustion devices team.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Aerospace, Mechanical, or a related engineering field.
• 6+ years of hands‑on experience in spacecraft or launch vehicle propulsion—including design, build, and test of chemical propulsion systems, thrusters, gas generators, or other combustion devices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead people: prior experience formally or informally managing, mentoring, or technically leading a team of engineers.
• Deep technical understanding of chemical propulsion systems, including thermal & performance considerations, component selection, manufacturing techniques, qualification testing, and flight operations.
• History of collaborating effectively across organizational boundaries and driving to…