Senior Materials and Process Engineer

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

As a Senior Materials and Process Engineer at Varda, you will have the opportunity to use your deep technical expertise to define and qualify the materials and special processes behind our reentry vehicles as we scale from a few bespoke builds to many consistent, concurrent vehicles. This role owns the development, qualification, and control of processes for flight hardware, including ablative and thermal protection systems (TPS), coatings, polymers, composites, adhesives, wet chemical processing, corrosion control, and metallic structures. The Senior Materials and Process Engineer authors the specifications, process qualification records, and control plans that Varda and its suppliers build to, leads RCCAs, MRB, and failure investigations for material and process non-conformances, and uses statistical methods to define process windows and acceptance criteria. You will make sound decisions quickly without established infrastructure, influence material decisions across teams, and mentor and help hire engineers. Materials and Process Engineers are a vital part of increasing Varda's build cadence, working directly with design engineers, technicians, and suppliers across the full range of materials and processes required to manufacture our vehicles. The focus of the job is to drive incremental improvement in the quality and repeatability of every vehicle Varda produces.

Responsibilities

Develop, qualify, and maintain special processes for flight hardware, including ablative and thermal protection systems (TPS), coatings, polymers, composites, adhesives, and processes applicable to metallic structures

Develop and control wet chemical processes (cleaning, etching, passivation, conversion coating and similar).

Implement corrosion prevention and control practices, and assess chemical compatibility between materials, process fluids, and service environments

Design experiments, methodologies, and pathfinder hardware to de-risk processes, and characterize materials and processes through mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microstructural testing, and use statistical methods to define process windows

Define tooling, fixture, test equipment, cleanliness, contamination control, and material handling requirements for assigned processes and flight hardware

Develop and maintain Special Process Specifications, Process Qualification and Validation Records and Control Plans

Lead and contribute to RCCAs, MRB and failure review boards for material and process non-conformances, including corrosion, surface contamination, defects found in NDE, test, or inspection, failure analysis (fractography, metallography, SEM/EDS, chemical analysis) in-house or through partner labs.

Basic Qualifications

B.S. in Materials Science, Metallurgical, Chemical, Mechanical, or a related engineering discipline, or demonstrated equivalent experience and expertise.

3+ years of process and materials engineering experience in aerospace, semiconductor or another high-reliability industry.

Demonstrated record of developing and qualifying processes and materials for flight or safety-critical hardware, including first article builds and compliance with industry standards (AWS, AMS, ASTM or similar).

Experience authoring and releasing specifications, design guidance, acceptance criteria, and drawing callouts used by an organization and its suppliers.

Experience with thermal, chemical, mechanical, and NDE characterization, including interpreting results to define process windows.

Deep expertise in at least one area (ablatives and TPS, composites, polymers and adhesives, coatings and surface treatment, wet chemical processing and corrosion control, welding metallurgy, heat treat, additive, or NDE).

Experience with aerospace metals (stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel alloys) and their processing, including heat treatment, welding and brazing, and finishing.

Experience with corrosion mechanisms (galvanic, crevice, pitting, stress corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement) and chemical compatibility of materials with process fluids and service environments.

Experience developing and controlling wet chemical processes, including bath chemistry, rinse and water quality requirements, precision cleaning and cleanliness verification, and work with hazardous, reactive, or oxidizing fluids.

Proficiency in applied statistical methods (DOE, SPC, process capability, measurement system analysis, regression, statistical tolerancing), including establishing statistically based material allowables, acceptance criteria, and sampling plans (e.g., A-basis and B-basis).

Experience leading RCCAs, failure analysis, and material dispositions, including selecting and interpreting lab methods (fractography, metallography, SEM/EDS, chemical analysis) and leading cross-functional investigations.

Experience developing control plans, special processes, and leading PFMEAs.

Experience setting M&P requirements for the space environment, including outgassing and contamination control, electrical bonding and grounding, thermal cycling, and UV exposure.

Strong technical writing, including specifications, test reports, and investment cases

Ability to make sound decisions quickly without established infrastructure, influence material decisions owned by other teams, and hire and mentor engineers

Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs., bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods while working directly with flight hardware

Preferred Skills and Experience

M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline, or AMPP/NACE certification

Experience with ablative, thermal protection, and thermal barrier materials for reentry, hypersonic, or propulsion applications, including characterization (arc jet, thermal conductivity, recession, char behavior)

Experience with polymer and composite processing at scale (cure cycle development, cure kinetics, void and porosity control)

Experience with spacecraft thermal control and finishing systems (MLI films, metallizations, anodize per MIL-A-8625, conversion coating per MIL-DTL-5541, plating, fluoropolymer coatings) and their effects on bonding and outgassing

Experience designing, qualifying, or specifying wet process lines and high-purity water systems, including waste handling and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) compliance

Experience with high-test peroxide (HTP) systems, including compat