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Owns payloads throughout their lifecycle, from mission scoping and interface definition through integration, environmental testing, flight operations, recovery, and post-flight data delivery. The engineer coordinates with payload customers and multidisciplinary vehicle teams, develops requirements and verification plans, troubleshoots hardware issues, defines operations procedures, supports on-console activities, and improves standard payload interfaces and workflows. The role requires hands-on cleanroom work with complex aerospace hardware and mentorship of earlier-career engineers.

Leads the Payload Systems Integration and Test organization, overseeing multidisciplinary engineers, payload interface definition, integration campaigns, environmental qualification, cleanroom practices, and mission execution. The role manages pharmaceutical and hosted payloads from design and customer scoping through orbital operations, reentry, recovery, and data retrieval. It also owns payload standards, hiring, process development, headcount planning, and coordination with vehicle integration, production, mission management, and customers.

Develop and own precision fluid-handling payloads for pharmaceutical manufacturing in microgravity, from concept through design, analysis, integration, testing, launch, on-orbit operation, recovery, and iteration. Design valves, pumps, manifolds, tubing, seals, filters, sensors, and thermal-control systems; perform fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanism analyses; lead prototype and flight-hardware testing; define requirements and verification plans; coordinate cross-functional teams; and mentor junior engineers.

Designs and owns electromechanical payload hardware from concept through flight, reentry, and recovery. Responsibilities include mechanism, structural, thermal, fluid, and interface design; structural, thermal, and fluid analyses; prototype and flight-hardware testing; cross-functional integration; technical documentation; mission operations; and post-flight teardown. The role requires hands-on aerospace hardware development and collaboration across avionics, software, thermal, systems, and integration teams.

Lead the architecture, design, analysis, integration, testing, launch, recovery, and troubleshooting of complex electromechanical payload hardware for spaceflight and hypersonic reentry missions. Define requirements, verification plans, and development strategies; lead cross-functional teams and external partners; conduct trade studies and risk reduction; resolve anomalies; improve development processes; and mentor engineers.

Develop and own electromechanical payload hardware for spaceflight, hypersonic reentry, and pharmaceutical manufacturing missions. Lead mechanism, structural, thermal, fluid, and electromechanical design; perform analyses; build and test prototypes and flight hardware; coordinate cross-functional teams; manage requirements, documentation, mission operations, and post-flight teardown. The role requires delivering integrated hardware through launch and recovery while mentoring junior engineers and driving continuous improvement.

Lead the architecture, design, integration, testing, and qualification of precision electromechanical fluid systems for pharmaceutical manufacturing payloads in space. Responsibilities include requirements development, component selection, thermal and contamination control, system analysis, trade studies, prototype and flight hardware testing, verification planning, cross-functional technical leadership, stakeholder communication, continuous improvement, and mentoring engineers.

Owns the end-to-end capture lifecycle for defense and aerospace opportunities, from solicitation qualification through proposal development, evaluation, negotiation, and award. Leads Color Team reviews, competitive assessments, Price-to-Win strategies, gate reviews, and organic account growth. Coordinates engineering, pricing, legal, and mission management teams while engaging government, international, and commercial stakeholders. Applies expertise in FMS, DCS, ITAR/EAR, DoD budgeting, and defense procurement to expand Varda’s Test-as-a-Service portfolio.

Own payload mission success from scoping through post-flight data delivery. Define payload-to-vehicle interfaces, manage integration and environmental testing, troubleshoot technical issues, coordinate vehicle testing and flight operations, support mission execution, and improve integration processes through lessons learned.

Leads launch vehicle interface definition and capsule recovery operations for Varda spacecraft. Manages launch service agreement deliverables, regulatory requirements, launch-site integration and testing, recovery procedures, anomaly investigations, technical trade studies, and coordination with launch providers and internal engineering teams. Builds and leads a team of launch and recovery engineers while scaling operations for more than 12 vehicles annually.