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Job Description

Overview

Varda is a company focused on developing commercial space infrastructure, including reentry capsules and pharmaceutical processing. The Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Structures) will oversee manufacturing processes for structural assemblies in spacecraft, working closely with design engineers and technicians to enhance production efficiency.

Responsibilities

  • Own manufacturing processes for composite structures, machined metallic components, and bonded assemblies.
  • Develop and maintain detailed work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing travelers for all structural build operations.
  • Provide DFM feedback to structural design engineers on composite part design and tooling accessibility.
  • Implement and enforce cleanliness, FOD prevention, and contamination control procedures.
  • Lead non-conformance investigations and root cause corrective actions for structural build defects.
  • Define and procure tooling required to support production scaling.
  • Refine floor layouts and product flow for structural subassembly work cells.
  • Coordinate with supply chain on incoming material inspection requirements.

Requirements

  • B.S. in Mechanical or Materials Engineering, or a related discipline, with equivalent professional experience.
  • 6+ years of manufacturing experience with structural assembly or manufacturing.
  • Strong understanding of structural static loads analysis and mechanical properties of materials.
  • Hands-on experience assembling and fabricating structural assemblies.
  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and GD&T callouts.
  • Experience writing and maintaining manufacturing process documentation.
  • Strong problem-solving skills to diagnose structural build defects.
  • Must be physically able to regularly lift 25 lbs. and stand for extended periods.

Additional Information

  • 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.
  • Eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
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How this job compares in El Segundo, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $106/hr, this posting sits about 180% above the $38/hr median for welding jobs in El Segundo, CA — toward the top of a $38–$52/hr middle band drawn from 15 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 100% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in El Segundo, CA

We're tracking 20 other active welding openings in El Segundo, CA right now, from 10 different employers. 16 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 565 other active welding openings from 259 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in El Segundo, or widen the search to California.

Varda Space Industries currently has 1 other opening live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (37), Relativity Space (21), and Honeywell Aerospace (17). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Long Beach at $49/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $43/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near El Segundo, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Structures) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.