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TPS Spacecraft Technician

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 offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL (coming soon).

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

 

About This Role 

 

As a TPS Technician at Varda, you will be hands-on in fabricating, integrating, and testing Thermal Protection Systems that protect the reentry capsule during hypersonic reentry. Your work ensures that TPS components meet the demanding thermal, mechanical, and environmental loads encountered during return from orbit. You will support Varda’s push toward high-production, frequent-fly missions with robustness, reproducibility, and high recovery reliability.

Key Responsibilities:

· Fabricate, assemble, and integrate TPS components/hardware (blanks, ablative panels, conformal TPS, coatings) based on Varda & NASA Ames developed designs.

· Operate and maintain tooling, jigs, molds, fixtures used for TPS parts; ensure alignment of parts, seams, edges to avoid weak points or hotspots.

· Prepare TPS materials: shaping, trimming, edge finishing, bonding/sealant application, and surface preparation.

· Work with coatings or ablative surfaces and ensure integrity of surface finish, bonding, surface continuity.

· Assist in inspection & quality control: dimensional tolerances, material integrity, surface defects, adhesion, seam integrity, finish. Document non-conformances, rework or repair past failures.

· Maintain clean workspace and manage contamination risk; some TPS materials / integration steps may require controlled room / clean environment.

· Maintain accurate fabrication and test documentation: process sheets, procedures, test results, material certificates. Support traceability.

· Coordinate with Design / Analysis / Thermal / Integration Engineers to feedback learnings from testing (damage, failure modes) into design improvements.

 

Qualifications:

· High School diploma or equivalent required; technical or trade school training in materials, composite fabrication, manufacturing, or related field is a plus.

· Prior hands-on experience with high-temperature materials, ablative materials, insulation, phenolic or carbon ablators, or ceramic / carbon fiber composites.

· Ability to read engineering drawings, TPS design specifications, material data sheets. Comfortable following precise work instructions.

· Proficiency with hand tools and power tools; ability to perform precise trimming, sanding, finishing. Measuring skills with calipers, height gauges, other metrology tools.

· Good understanding of safety procedures, PPE for high-temperature, chemical, and potentially hazardous environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

· Prior experience in aerospace or reentry TPS work (ablative materials, conformal TPS) especially those used by Varda or NASA.

· Familiarity with specific TPS materials: e.g. PICA, possibly 3D woven TPS or similar materials under development.

· Experience in working in a high cadence manufacturing / test environment; ability to maintain production quality under tight schedules.

· Knowledge of attaching TPS to structural interfaces; understanding of mechanical attachment, thermal expansion, interface sealing.

· Familiarity with test hardware instrumentation and mounting methods (thermocouples, heat flux sensors, IR cameras) beneficial.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

· Work in lab/factory/test facilities in El Segundo, CA. May involve working near high-temperature test apparatus, with exposure to heat, fumes, abrasive materials, etc.

· Ability to handle moderate weight (25-50 lbs or more) components, lift, maneuver, position parts manually or with assist equipment.

· Able to stand, kneel, crouch, climb ladders or scaffolding, reach overhead, etc.

· Use of PPE (gloves, respirators, face shields) as required.

Impact & Why This Role Matters at Varda

· Ensures that each reentry capsule is safely returned, protecting valuable payloads from destruction in reentry.

· Supports Varda’s goal of frequent, recoverable, reliable reentry; every mission failure or damage in TPS slows their ability to iterate and scale.

· By helping in TPS robustness, technician feedback improves reliability, lowers cost per return, improves manufacturability, which are crucial for Varda’s business model.

Pay Range

Technician I: $27 to $30 per hour

Technician II: $32 to $36 per hour

Sr. Technician: $39 to $43 per hour

  • Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
  • You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

 

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
  • 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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