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Varda Space Industries

Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer

Varda Space Industries · El Segundo, California, United States

Posted about 3 months ago · $169,067 - $216,031

or apply directly on Varda Space Industries's site. We never take the application ourselves.

Is this posting real?

This role has been open
81 days
Varda Space Industries's roles stay open a median of 81 days
Reposted
No
Salary listed
Yes
81% of Varda Space Industries's roles list one
Ghost-job risk at Varda Space Industries
high
85 stale, 0 reposted of 86 open
Hiring momentum
215 roles opened in the last 90 days
↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
Last confirmed on the employer's board
2026-10-23

Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Varda Space Industries's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Varda Space Industries.

About this role

As a Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Engineer at Varda, you will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of GNC development, including design, testing, and integration of systems for aerospace applications. Your role involves performing simulations, developing algorithms for satellite control, and ensuring the functionality of GNC subsystems through rigorous testing and analysis. You will collaborate with various teams to monitor system performance and troubleshoot issues during on-orbit operations.

Our read on this posting4.2out of 5
benefits
5/5
freshness
1/5
career value
5/5
role clarity
5/5
pay transparency
5/5

Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Varda Space Industries as an employer.

What you need

  • B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field
  • 5+ proven years of experience, or PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience
  • Demonstrated knowledge in designing, modeling, testing, and flying aerospace guidance, navigation, and control systems
  • Highly adept software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python
  • Understanding of orbital mechanics, modeling and simulation, and software development
  • Experience anchoring/fitting first principles models to test data or high-fidelity external simulations

Nice to have

  • Master's degree in engineering or physics
  • Experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control system design
  • Experience with GMAT, POST2, or similar tools
  • Understanding of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics
  • Experience developing and verifying physical models for the purpose of control design, component sizing, and system performance evaluation

What you get

  • 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

Worth weighing

  • Role involves significant responsibility in GNC development, which may require extensive collaboration and problem-solving under pressure.
  • No remote work option mentioned; position is on-site in El Segundo, CA.
  • Salary range is provided, but specific compensation will depend on various factors including experience and performance.

Summarised from Varda Space Industries's posting. Read the full original.

Listed by Varda Space Industries on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-10-23. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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