Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer

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 the Senior Thermal Analysis Engineer, you will serve as a key member of the vehicle engineering team to develop and maintain thermal system architectures and collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, production, software, and mission ops to ensure vehicle health and performance through all mission phases.

Your work directly influences design and performance of Varda's spacecraft and will often flex between quick evaluations and high-fidelity analysis. You will also contribute to thermal modeling and data processing workflows to build more efficient and robust systems as we scale in vehicle cadence. A proactive problem-solving approach and commitment to meeting tight schedules are critical to supporting Varda's goals of expanding in-space manufacturing.

We are in the mission of developing engineering systems for life-changing products in microgravity for patients on Earth and looking for skilled and driven teammates to help us get there. This role is open at the Senior level, with levels determined based on candidate experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain integrated thermal analysis models for Varda's space vehicles
• Create and maintain tools/systems for model and flight data processing
• Ensure spacecraft remains within operating and survival limits during all mission phases via passive and active thermal control
• Collaborate with other spacecraft disciplines to drive hardware, software, and/or con-ops improvements
• Plan, execute, and anchor models to Thermal Vacuum (TVac) testing.
• Provide guidance to vehicle level testing, such as thermal bakeout, Vehicle-In-The-Loop (VITL), propulsion hot fire, etc
• Work independently with minimal technical oversight
• Mentor junior engineers and serve as a technical peer reviewer

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related discipline, with consideration given to equivalent professional experience (typically 3-6+ years)
• 3+ years of experience and knowledge in developing passive and active thermal control systems
• Proficiency in detailed thermal analysis in Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT
• Experience anchoring thermal models to test and/or flight data
• Experience in planning and executing Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVac) testing
• Experience in MATLAB (or equivalent) for data processing and task automation
• Familiarity with thermal margins and qualification test requirements in SMC-S-016
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an aptitude for interdisciplinary technical communication

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in a related engineering discipline and 3+ years of related professional experience
• Experience of an entire spacecraft vehicle lifecycle, from…