Cybersecurity Internship - Summer 2027

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. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

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.

About This Role

Summer internships will range between the months of May and June. All dates dependent upon the university schedule of the selected students. Internships are full-time and on-site in El Segundo, CA. To be considered for this internship, candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program.

We are hiring a summer cybersecurity intern to help our Information security team with day to day work. You will help us watch for security alerts, write things down clearly, and gather the paperwork we need for our upcoming cybersecurity certification.

This is a real job, not busywork. You will look at real alerts, write real reports, and help us get ready for a real audit. You will sit with our Cybersecurity Analyst and our InfoSec Engineer, and you will learn how a security team works inside a company.

Responsibilities

Help review security alerts that come in each day. You will read them, decide what they are, and write down what you did about them.

Help set up, fine tune, and improve the way our security tools are configured. These tools include Zscaler, CrowdStrike, ThreatLocker, Darktrace, and AlienVault. You will work with your lead to adjust settings, clean up noisy alerts, and make sure each tool is doing its job well.

Help keep our security event logs up to date, so we have a clear record of what happened and how it was handled.

Pull sample logs from our security tools and organize them, so we can show an auditor that we are watching the right things.

Help keep track of the reports we get from our outside security partner, making sure they arrive on time and get filed in the right place.

Help upload reports and updates into the software we use to track our compliance work.

Work on one bigger summer project that you own from start to finish. You will pick this with your lead in the first week. Some examples: a report on gaps in our logging, a refreshed incident response guide, or a simple dashboard.

What You Will Learn

How a information security team runs its day to day work when the company has to pass a security audit.

How the things we do every day (looking at alerts, writing things down, storing logs) turn into the proof an auditor wants to see.

Hands on use of real security tools that protect computers, networks, web traffic, software, and user accounts. You will get real practice setting up and improving tools like Zscaler, CrowdStrike, ThreatLocker, Darktrace, and AlienVault.

How to write clearly about technical problems so that people who are not technical can still understand you.

How the different people on a information security team work together: the InfoSec Head, the analyst, the engineer, the compliance manager, and our outside security partners.

What We Are Looking For

You are a current undergrad in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, information systems, or a similar major.

You have taken classes or taught yourself at least two of these: networking, how operating systems work, how user accounts and passwords are managed, how to respond to security incidents, or how to watch for security problems.

You are comfortable reading logs and working with data in a spreadsheet. You know what a basic script is, even if you have not written many.

You write clearly. You will be writing notes and reports that other people rely on.

You are organized, you pay attention to details, and you are willing to ask questions when something is unclear.

You are allowed to work in the United States for the full length of the internship without needing us to sponsor a visa.

Nice to Have

You are working toward a beginner certification like CompTIA Security Plus or Network Plus.

You have played with security tools on your own, in a home lab, in a school club, or in a capture the flag competition.

You have used or read about any of these tools: Zscaler, CrowdStrike, ThreatLocker, Darktrace, AlienVault, Okta, or Vanta.

You have heard of compliance frameworks like NIST 800 171, NIST 800 53, ISO 27001, or CMMC and understand the basics.

You can write simple scripts in Python, PowerShell, or Bash.

Compensation

Hourly Rate: $33.00

Housing stipend for interns relocating to the area

Commuter benefit to support local transportation

Benefits

Consider your benefits covered for launch. At Varda, we invest in benefits and perks that support your health, financial well-being, and life beyond work. Benefits vary by position, with packages designed specifically for our regular full-time employees and interns.

Regular Full-Time Positions:

Health & Wellness

Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays

100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options

Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance

$120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses

12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)

Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic

Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up

401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)

$20/pay period cell phone reimbursement

Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly

Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations

Complimentary EV charging

Intern Positions:

Health & Wellness

Paid observed holidays

100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options

$120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses

Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial

$20/pay period cell phone reimbursement

Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible

Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible

Workplace Experience & Perks

Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly

Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations

Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

Varda, like al