Varda Space Industries

Space

OrbitalGroundSystemsSoftwareEngineer

$135–185k ~AI est. El Segundo, California, United States
Market Sentiment
HIGH DEMAND

Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Mid+ candidates.

The Brief

“Orbital Ground Systems Software Engineer at Varda Space Industries. Skills: Ground segment software, Telemetry and commanding, Mission control interfaces. Develop high-reliability services for telemetry ingestion. Develop high-reliability services for scaling”

Industry & Context.

Space
Problems you'll solve

Systems fundamentals; Concurrency; Networking; Performance; Reliability; Debugging

Eligibility Requirements

U.S. persons only

What They're Looking For.

Must Have

Bachelor's degree in CS, math, physics, engineering or equivalent technical experience, 3+ years of experience in safety critical software development, Expertise with Python development, Understanding of Python language concepts, Systems fundamentals: concurrency, networking, performance, reliability, Experience building real-time data acquisition, scaling, and distribution services, Experience with low-latency messaging, Experience with time-series and relational stores, Hands-on experience with CI/CD, Hands-on experience with dependency build systems, Hands-on experience with infrastructure-as-code, End-to-end observability experience: logging, metrics, tracing, Docker/Kubernetes experience, Release management experience, Phased rollouts experience, Operational readiness for controlled networks experience

Nice to Have

Proficiency in C++, Proficiency in Ansible, Proficiency in NiceGUI, Experience with DAQ, Experience with closed-loop control, Prior work on CI/testing/simulation/data tools integrated with flight software teams, Experience with requirements artifacts, Experience with test artifacts, Experience with certification artifacts from safety-critical or certified workflows, Knowledge of ground systems security in mission networks, Experience building mission-grade UIs, Experience with structured command workflows, Experience with alarming, Experience with situational awareness

What You'll Do.

Develop high-reliability services for telemetry ingestion

Develop high-reliability services for scaling

Develop high-reliability services for distribution

Develop high-reliability services for commanding

Ensure deterministic behavior for real-time operations

Ensure deterministic behavior for post-flight analysis

Deliver operator-grade UIs

Build tools to run flight-software simulations

Build tools to run device emulators

Build tools to run scenario-based automated tests

Design software for mission teams

Design software for ground software teams

Implement CI/CD pipelines

Implement artifact management

Implement service templates

Implement infrastructure-as-code

Implement simulation frameworks

Implement hardware-in-the-loop frameworks

Implement test harnesses

Implement observability

Create robust deployment patterns for lab benches

Create robust deployment patterns for test stands

Create robust deployment patterns for mission networks

Implement safe rollout strategies

Implement safe rollback strategies

Implement air-gapped deployment approaches

Implement limited-connectivity deployment approaches

How You'll Work.

Team & Collaboration

Mission Software team; Flight software teams; Avionics teams; GNC teams; Operations teams; Mission software teams; Ground software teams

Process & Methodology

CI/CD, Infrastructure-as-code, Release management, Phased rollouts

Full Job Description

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. 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. What You Will Do (Job Responsibilities) The Mission Software team is responsible for Varda's critical ground segment software, and the platform it runs on which enables spacecraft operations. We operate at the intersection of telemetry and commanding, data acquisition and distribution, mission control interfaces, simulation and test automation, with reliable deployment across lab, test range, and mission operations environments. You'll work hands-on with flight software, avionics, RF/ground systems, and mission ops. Own Ground Segment Services: Develop and maintain high-reliability services for telemetry ingestion, scaling, distribution, and commanding. Ensure deterministic behavior for real-time

Free ATS check

Applying for this Orbital Ground Systems Software Engineer role?

Most applicants get filtered before a human reads their resume. See if yours makes the cut.

How to Apply on Greenhouse

  • Create a Greenhouse profile before applying — it saves time across multiple applications.
  • Upload your resume as a PDF; the parser handles it better than Word.
  • Answer all knockout questions carefully — wrong answers auto-reject before a human sees you.
  • Enable email notifications to track application status in real time.

ANONYMOUS · UNFILTERED

What do employees actually say about Varda Space Industries?

Real rants from real employees. Read before you apply.

Read Company Rants →