About the role
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.
Varda is seeking an Applications Engineer to join our team as a multi-function technical resource. In this role, you will be responsible for leading efforts to develop, deploy, improve, and manage enterprise applications across several business functions, including CRM, HRIS, EHS, and other operational systems. You will manage the implementation of these solutions through the entire product life cycle, from opportunity identification to support and sustainment. You will work cross-functionally with teams across Varda to lead initiatives to enhance company processes, execution insight, and infrastructure. You will also provide surge support to peer application engineers during high-demand periods. Projects will include a wide range of desired outcomes, including cycle time reduction, cost reduction, improved decision making, risk reduction, and any other key operational efficiency. Your contributions will immediately impact functional operations across the company and have an opportunity to contribute to Varda's overall growth and success. This role will report to the Director of Enterprise Applications.
This is a full-time, exempt position located in our El Segundo headquarters.
Responsibilities
- Own a portfolio of cross-functional enterprise systems (CRM, HRIS, EHS, and similar), daily admin, data integrity, vendor escalations, and release cycles.
- Map and re-engineer business processes across departments to eliminate manual bottlenecks and improve data capture at the source.
- Build internal applications (low-code and custom-built) and ETL pipelines that connect disparate systems into a unified data layer.
- Design dashboards and solutions in Power BI, SQL, and Python for cross-functional stakeholders.
- Provide surge support to peer applications engineers during peak project periods, system rollouts, and critical incidents.
- Build, pilot, and deploy AI-powered tools, including LLM-based agents and generative tooling across supported business functions.
- Lead training and enablement that drives adoption and reduces shadow IT across supported business units.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Analytics, Business Administration, or a related technical field.
- 3+ years of experience supporting or managing enterprise applications (CRM, HRIS, EHS, or similar).
- Proficiency in SQL and at least one scripting/programming language (Python, JavaScript, or similar).
- Demonstrated experience building reports and dashboards in a BI platform (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
- Comfortable context-switching across multiple business domains and balancing competing priorities from different stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to produce system design documentation, SOPs, and training materials for non-technical stakeholders across varied business functions.
Preferred Skills and Qualifications
- Salesforce administration or development experience (Flows or Lightning).
- Experience with HRIS platforms (Workday, BambooHR, Rippling) and/or EHS systems.
- Experience with ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever) and recruiting workflow optimization.
- Hands-on experience with ETL tools (Alteryx, dbt, SSIS, or Informatica) and cloud data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, AWS Redshift).
- Experience with aerospace & defense or Pharma enterprise systems.
- Track record of building workflow automation or custom tooling with quantifiable outcomes such as hours saved, error reduction, or user adoption metrics.
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Project Management Professional (PMP), or Lean Six Sigma certification.
Pay Range
- E1: $110,000 - $140,000 per year (1-1.5 years of exp)
- E2: $120,000 - $153,000 per year (1-3 years of exp)
- Sr. Engineer: $140,000 - 180,000 per year (3-6 years of exp)
- This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
- Leveling and base salary are 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
- Dog-friendly office space 🐕
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.
E-Verify Notice Right To Work Notice
Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.
