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Director of IT

El Segundo, California, United States

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 an office in Washington, D.C.  

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

 

About This Role

As the Director of Information Technology, you will be responsible for managing Varda’s IT systems, processes, and controls.  You will manage a highly skilled team of folks with expertise in information technology, enterprise applications, information security, and spacecraft mission operations.  You will be responsible, either directly or through your team, for an array of critical functions including overseeing IT infrastructure, managing sophisticated IT services, and designing highly reliable and powerful integrations.  You and your team will be asked to provide a information technology strategy for the company with the help of the engineering teams, spacecraft operations teams, and the vehicle production organization.

This is a full-time, exempt position located in our El Segundo headquarters.

Responsibilities

  • Recruit, retain, and empower a diverse team of engineers to design and build next-generation information technology infrastructure for the Varda corporation and the Winnebago spacecraft
  • Manage the site reliability, IT, and infosec teams to define business processes and identify areas of improvements/automation
  • Scope projects including requirements capture and initial design trades to open-ended problems
  • End-to-end ownership of IT systems including vendor relationships, testing, networking, mission control, and ground station design/build/maintenance
  • Provide day to day support and administration for our portfolio of enterprise software applications
  • Partner with Avionics, Software, and Mission Operations teams to develop mission critical hardware, software, and networking support for space missions
  • Work closely with Varda engineers to gather requirements, research, evaluate, design, plan, deploy, and support software platforms and related technologies in a world-class environment
  • Build highly-resilient, high-performance, scalable, and flexible systems
  • Drive scripting and automation to develop solutions to common problems and software integrations
  • Implement best practices and controls across all information technology functions
  • Prepare schedules and supporting documentation related to information security audit requirements, and interact with external auditors as required
  • Handle special projects, taking full responsibility for the successful and timely completion of the project
  • Communicate complex concepts with senior management, technical personnel, and external entities including senior representatives of the US Government and teammates
  • Audit and verify security controls as part of industry standard system hardening or in accordance with customer or government requirements

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, physics, information systems, or similar technical discipline and 10+ years of systems engineering experience
    • or 12+ years of systems engineering experience in lieu of a degree
  • Direct experience as a people manager
  • Ability to receive Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance
  • Strong written and verbal communication
  • Independently motivated with a demonstrated track record of delivering complex technical projects
  • Experience with Linux servers in physical and virtualized environments.
  • Experience with Python or other scripting and automation languages.

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • 18+ years in the IT industry with demonstrated leadership experience as a team manager or a comparable role within the startup ecosystem
  • Experience leading multiple production deployment and test programs with varied timelines
  • Demonstrated experience building and growing lean teams in a fast-paced environment
  • Demonstrated strengths in organizational, attention-to-detail, follow-through, reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
  • Experience with ITAR compliant infrastructure management and design
  • Experience with HRIS systems and integrations with Active Directory and IAM solutions

Pay Range

  • Salary Range: $165,000—$215,000 /per year
  • This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
  • Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
  • You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
  • Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Benefits

  • Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field to working by your side
  • Working in El Segundo, CA - an awesome Southern California beach city with quick access to entertainment and outdoor activities
  • Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth
  • 401(k) matching
  • Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
  • Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
  • Maternity / Paternity leave

 

 

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. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than “U.S. Persons” as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current 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 in the U.S.)

     Learn more about the ITAR here.  

Benefits

  • Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field working by your side
  • Working in El Segundo, CA - an awesome Southern California beach city with quick access to entertainment and outdoor activities
  • Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
  • 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
  • Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
  • Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
  • Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week. 
  • Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)

 

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.

 

 

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

Read more                                                                             Read more

 

 

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