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.
Summer internships will range between the months of May and August. 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.
Site Reliability supports the infrastructure, hardware, software and services throughout all departments at Varda. We are responsible for ensuring services are running reliability and implementing new tools at scale. Day-to-day includes supporting team member onboarding, building out new engineering areas, troubleshooting difficult system administration challenges and implementing automation to scale our systems and services to support Varda's mission.
Internships at Varda are optimal for students looking to grow technically and professionally while working on impactful projects critical to the company’s success. You will be working on a collaborative team in a startup environment while being able to learn from some of most accomplished and experienced aerospace professionals in the world. We’re dedicated to providing an experience that will let your decisions and contributions help drive Varda’s success.
ResponsibilitiesDeploy and manage services in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters using Argo CD
Assist with system patching and maintenance tasks for internal services
Upgrade and support Atlassian tooling (e.g., Jira, Confluence)
Contribute to infrastructure-as-code efforts using Linux-based tooling and scripting
Monitor service reliability and automate operations tasks to improve system uptime and performance
Python programming experience
Familiarity with Linux environments
Understanding of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
Coursework or experience with one or more of the following:
Docker
Kubernetes
Networking or system security fundamentals
Hands-on experience with cloud deployment (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
Experience with Docker and Kubernetes in a lab or personal project setting
Familiarity with CI/CD concepts or tools like Argo CD, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions
Previous internship, research, or project experience in DevOps or systems engineering
- Hourly Rate: $33.00
- Housing stipend for interns relocating to the area
- Commuter benefit to support local transportation
Benefits for Interns
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
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. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our 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).
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
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.
Skills Required
- Actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program
- Python programming experience
- Familiarity with Linux environments
- Understanding of a cloud platform such as Azure, AWS, or GCP
- Coursework or experience with Docker, Kubernetes, networking, or system security fundamentals
- Hands-on experience with cloud deployment using Azure, AWS, or GCP
- Experience with Docker and Kubernetes in a lab or personal project
- Familiarity with CI/CD concepts or Argo CD, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions
- Previous internship, research, or project experience in DevOps or systems engineering
- U.S. person status for access to export-controlled technology
What We Do
Varda Space Industries was founded in 2020 with the goal of manufacturing products in space to benefit life on Earth. Co-founders Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov imagined a world where space could be leveraged not only for storytelling and awe, but for its economic benefits. Varda was created as a platform for in-space manufacturing, with a range of real-life, on-Earth use cases. Today, we are accelerating innovation in space through our microgravity manufacturing platform, with applications including pharmaceuticals, hypersonic testing, and fiber optics. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California and has received venture funding from investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.
Gallery
