Director of Propulsion 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.  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 Director of Propulsion Engineering , you will own Varda's propulsion engineering organization end-to-end — from concept through flight and vehicle recovery. Reporting directly to the CTO, you will set technical direction, drive execution, and build the team responsible for propulsion across Varda's current and next-generation spacecraft programs. This includes systems, fluid components, combustion devices, and test — all in service of enabling routine commercial on-orbit manufacturing and hosted payload missions at scale. This is a role for a leader who is equally at home deriving requirements from first principles and developing the engineers who will carry them out. You will play a defining role in shaping both Varda's technology and its engineering culture as we establish the first routine industrial operations beyond Earth. This role is open at the Director level, with leveling determined by candidate experience. Responsibilities Own the propulsion engineering technology roadmap and capability development required to achieve Varda's mission and company objectives Lead propulsion engineering end-to-end — from concept development through design, build, test, flight, and vehicle recovery Set technical direction and drive continuous improvement of Varda's designs, processes, and flight operations to support increasing launch cadence Define project scope and engineering assignments with aggressive but achievable targets; hold the team accountable to both rigor and urgency Lead, manage, and grow a team of propulsion engineers and technical leads across all propulsion disciplines Establish and enforce engineering standards from project kickoff through flight closure — ensuring pace is driven by urgency, not at the expense of rigor Drive cross-functional alignment across engineering, manufacturing, test, launch operations, and flight teams to ensure propulsion development integrates seamlessly with vehicle architecture and program objectives Report and communicate propulsion engineering status, schedule, and critical path to senior leadership and across the interdisciplinary engineering organization Basic Qualifications B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a closely related field; equivalent professional experience considered 8–14 years of experience in aerospace propulsion engineering for spacecraft or launch vehicles, spanning design, build, test, and flight 5+ years of engineering leadership or management experience Demonstrated experience on a team that has designed, built, and successfully flown aerospace hardware Proven ability to set and execute technical direction for a next-generation aerospace engineering team Experience working cross-functionally with engineering, production, and operations teams Strong fundamentals in fluid systems, propellant components, combustion devices, and/or mechanical systems Exceptional communication skills — written and verbal — and a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach First-principles thinking with a systems engineering mindset Willingness to work in a fast-paced, technically demanding environment Proficiency with CAD and PLM software This position requires access to information subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). To conform with these regulations, applicants must be a "U.S. Person" as defined by ITAR 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 — which includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), refugees, or asylees as defined under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3) — or otherwise eligible to access export-controlled information without a U.S. Government export license Preferred Skills and Experience 10+ years of aerospace propulsion engineering experience on spacecraft or launch vehicles 8+ years leading an engineering team, with demonstrated success building teams and processes from the ground up Deep understanding of interdisciplinary engineering fundamentals and cross-discipline dependencies Full lifecycle spacecraft experience: design, build, test, and flight In-space engine design and vacuum test experience In-space propellant tank design, integration, test, and flight experience Pressurization and propellant system design and analysis Experience interfacing with regulatory agencies in an aerospace engineering context Proficiency with Siemens NX or comparable