Senior Applications Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: El Segundo, California, United States; full-time onsite at the El Segundo headquarters. Employees must be lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. and qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology.

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

Company

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

What you will do

• Own engineering systems including PLM, CAD/PDM, MBSE, and engineering change management platforms across their lifecycle.
• Administer, optimize, integrate, and support engineering applications while maintaining data integrity, configuration control, compliance, and system health.
• Build analytics dashboards, reports, internal applications, workflow automations, and ETL pipelines using SQL, Python, Power BI, and related tools.
• Map and re-engineer engineering workflows to reduce manual bottlenecks, cycle times, costs, and operational risk.
• Evaluate and govern AI-powered tools, vendors, platforms, and make-versus-buy decisions across the enterprise architecture.
• Document systems and processes, support AS9100 and CMMC workflows, resolve incidents, manage releases, and train engineering users.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering or a similar coding-focused role.
• Ability to gather business requirements, take projects from concept to finished product, rapidly iterate prototypes with end users, and work independently as the sole technical resource within a business unit.
• Hands-on experience with structured business process mapping and re-engineering methodologies.
• Proficiency in SQL and at least one scripting or programming language such as Python or JavaScript.
• Experience building reports and dashboards with Power BI, Tableau, or an equivalent BI platform.
• Familiarity with engineering data domains including BOM structures, CAD metadata, and change order workflows, with willingness to develop expertise in aerospace engineering data standards.
• Familiarity with ETL/ELT integration patterns and tools such as Alteryx, dbt, SSIS, or Informatica.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including system design documentation, SOPs, and training materials for non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts, professional use of LLM-based tools, Git, code review, CI/CD, and software development lifecycle fundamentals.
• U.S. work authorization and U.S. person status are required for access to export-controlled items; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice to have

• Graduate degree in a related technical field.
• Experience with enterprise engineering applications, MBSE toolchains such as CAMEO or Capella, engineering change management, aerospace and defense systems, manufacturing workflows, or supply chain operations.
• Experience with AS9100 or CMMC compliance documentation and audit support.
• Proficiency with low-code/no-code platforms, cloud data platforms, modern ELT architectures, and Microsoft product APIs.
• Experience architecting AI-powered solutions, workflow automation, custom tooling, or platform trade studies and build-versus-buy evaluations.
• ITIL, PMP, or Lean Six Sigma certification.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time, exempt employment based at the El Segundo headquarters.
• Work alongside engineering, manufacturing, IT, Infosec, and enterprise stakeholders.
• Eligibility for long-term incentives through stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Inclusive equal-opportunity workplace with employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and performance.