About This Role

Varda supports a wide range of customers from pharmaceutical companies creating new products in microgravity, to government agencies testing new capabilities through hypersonic flight.  As a member of the mission management team, you will be responsible for ensuring we deliver on our promises. As a Senior Mission Manager, you will be the primary technical and programmatic interface for our customers and will shepherd missions from cradle to grave -- from before a contract is signed, through development, integration, launch, operations, and recovery of our customer's flown assets.  You will work cross functionally throughout the company to unblock issues for a particular customer or mission and to align resources needed to meet mission objectives.

You will coordinate with Varda personnel to deliver through all phases of mission planning, integration, testing, and verification.

This is a full-time, exempt position located in our El Segundo headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical and programmatic point of contact for our customers, helping to resolve issues, negotiate requirements and contract changes, communicate status and risks, and ensure a positive outcome for all parties.
• Lead programmatic execution of customer missions from prior to contract signature through development, integration, launch, operations, and recovery of our customer's flown assets.
• Collaborate across the company (e.g. engineering, regulatory, sales, payloads) to understand status and changes that may impact customer success and work to mitigate issues.
• Lead major customer reviews and deliverables, coordinating cross functionally to plan for, develop and deliver high quality materials and briefings.
• Support or lead, depending on the customer, development and verification of technical interface control documents
• Support our Sales team with proposal efforts to ensure new projects are appropriately scoped and aligned with strategic company vision, and that contracts are well-defined and executable.

Basic Qualifications

• Must possess and be able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Bachelor's degree or higher in an engineering or science discipline
• 7+ years of Program or Project Management experience
• Experience with US Government contracts and program execution
• Experience with spacecraft mission design, development, integration and test, launch and/or operations.
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution and leadership skills
• Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time
• U.S. Citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. to conform with U.S. Government space technology export regulations under ITAR.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in an engineering field
• 8+ years of experience working with government, NASA, or commercial launch contract
• Experience with spacecraft mission design, development, integration and test, launch and/or operations.
• Experience with US Government contracts
• Full spacecraft mission project lifecycle experience (cradle-to-grave)

Pay Range

• Salary range: $160,000 - $200,000/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 long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan

About The Role:

Varda supports a diverse and pioneering customer base—from pharmaceutical companies developing novel therapies in microgravity, to government agencies pushing the limits of microgravity, hypersonic reentry and advanced flight testing. These customers operate at the forefront of science and technology, and their missions drive our security requirements to be equally cutting-edge, robust, and adaptable.

As a Security Manager at Varda, you will be responsible for safeguarding the integrity of our missions and the sensitive data entrusted to us. You will lead the development and enforcement of security protocols that meet or exceed the expectations of our customers, who demand the highest standards due to the critical and sometimes classified nature of their work. This role requires close collaboration across mission management, business development, engineering and operations teams to ensure security is embedded throughout the lifecycle—from early customer engagement through launch, operations, and recovery. Your work will be instrumental in enabling our customers to innovate with confidence in some of the most challenging environments imaginable.

We are seeking a Security Manager to build and lead our security program from the ground up to ensure compliance with DoD, Intelligence Community and other customer-driven security requirements. This role will shape all things security at Varda -- from managing our Facility Security Clearances (FCLs), Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs), and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) to leading Communications Security (COMSEC), and Program Protection Plans (PPPs). This is a foundational role where you will define and implement security protocols, ensuring compliance with requirements while enabling our team to move quickly and iterate.

What You'll Do:

• Serve as Facility Security Officer (FSO) overseeing our facility clearance, personnel clearances, including training, administrative and compliance requirements and ensuring we have the right tools to do the job.
• Lead physical security operations across office, R&D, manufacturing and recovery spaces, ensuring adherence to national security standards.
• Manage our COMSEC program to protect classified communications.
• Serve as the ITPSO (Insider Threat Program Security Officer), developing a robust program to deter, detect and mitigate insider threats to critical information.
• Serve as the primary security expert with government agencies and partners, establishing classification levels, and defining storage and transmission protocols for classified information or hardware.
• Expand and accredit SCIFs and classified production facilities, working closely with internal teams and government stakeholders to support evolving mission needs.
• Collaborate with IT and Information Assurance teams to support current CUI requirements and plan for and maintain classified network capabilities and secure infrastructure.
• Create protocols to ensure compliance with NISPOM and contractual security requirements to meet all DD254, security classification guide, and other contract requirements.
• Define plans for Security team growth to ensure Varda is set up for success and has the right skills at the right time.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Active Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance.
• 5+ years of experience as an FSO managing DoD and/or Intelligence Community security programs.
• Strong understanding of NISPOM, ICD 705, and DoD security protocols.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to brief executives, employees, and government stakeholders on security requirements.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience working with Special Access Programs / Special Access Required (SAP/SAR)
• Experience building a security program from the ground up in a commercial or government-contractor environment.
• Previous roles as CPSO (Contractor Program Security Officer) or CSSO (Contractor Special Security Officer).
• Hands-on experience with SCIF/SAPF planning, accreditation, and management.

Pay Range

• This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
• $120,000 - 160,000 / year
• Leveling and base salary are determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan