Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Structures (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States

Salary: $140,333–$179,314 per year, plus potential stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Company

Varda develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-space pharmaceutical processing payloads, reentry capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses, with vehicles and equipment built, integrated, and tested in-house.

What you will do

• Own manufacturing processes for composite structures, machined metallic components, and bonded assemblies.
• Develop work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing travelers for structural build operations.
• Provide DFM feedback on composite designs, tooling access, bond joints, fastener patterns, and assembly models.
• Implement cleanliness, FOD prevention, and contamination-control procedures.
• Lead non-conformance investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions for structural and material defects.
• Define production tooling, improve structural work-cell layouts, and coordinate incoming material inspection requirements with supply chain.

Requirements

• B.S. in Mechanical or Materials Engineering, or equivalent professional experience, typically with 3–6+ years of experience.
• At least 3 years of manufacturing experience with structural assemblies, including riveted or welded structures, machined metals, composites, or bonded structures.
• Hands-on experience fabricating structural assemblies through welding, adhesive bonding, or riveting.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T callouts, and structural assembly models, and to maintain manufacturing documentation.
• Strong understanding of structural static loads, material properties, assembly processes, and corrective-action methods.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States and qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology; the role is on-site and requires regularly lifting 25 lbs., bending, stooping, and standing for extended periods.

Nice to have

• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Materials Science, Structural Analysis, or a related discipline.
• Experience with primary flight structures for launch vehicles, satellites, or reentry systems, and with transitioning prototypes to rate production.
• Knowledge of aerospace aluminum, titanium, and steel manufacturing, dynamic and vibrational loads, FAI/FAIR documentation, and tooling qualification.
• Experience with CATIA, SolidWorks, or NX for tooling design and assembly model review.
• Experience at a new-space company or defense prime increasing structural production cadence.

Culture & Benefits

• Regular full-time employment with flexible PTO and 12 paid holidays.
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
• Parental leave, family-building and wellness benefits, and sponsored One Medical memberships.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% immediately vested employer match and equity incentives.
• Relocation support may be available for new hires.
• Lunch is provided daily, dinner twice weekly, with team events and complimentary EV charging.