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ExperiencedSpace

Senior Prototype Machinist

Varda Space · El Segundo, California, United States

Posted Oct 30, 2026

Est. total comp~$88K–$119K

Apply on Varda Space's site ↗

From the posting

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. …

Excerpt from Varda Space's public job board. Read the full posting.

Job inventory

Required 10 items

Experience: 5+ years of experience

Skills and tools: CAD, SolidWorks, Siemens NX, GD&T, Machining, CNC, Blueprints

Clearance and work authorization: US person (ITAR / export control), US citizenship

Preferred 2 items

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

Experience: 10+ years of experience

We have not read this posting carefully yet, so it cannot show as Mission Ready. These items come from a keyword scan.

Get ready for this role

Crew department: Drilling

Skills this kind of role usually asks for:

Machining
Team leadership
Mechanical design and failure analysis
Rock and soil mechanics basics
Motors, gearboxes and torque control

Train for it: the Drilling Track: Rigs, Well Control and Geothermal. 4 short modules, a quiz after each one and a final test. Pass it and you get the Mars Mining Certificate in Drilling Fundamentals, with its own public page you can link from your resume.

Join the crew and train for this role About Drilling

Quick self-check: are you ready for this one?Free, no signup. Your answers stay in this browser tab.

I can do Machining on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Team leadership on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Mechanical design and failure analysis on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Rock and soil mechanics basics on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Motors, gearboxes and torque control on the job, or have used it in a class or project I have a project or work sample I could show an interviewer My resume is tailored to this kind of role I've practiced answering interview questions for this kind of job

Free. The department comes from the job title and can be off. A Mars Mining certificate shows you studied and passed our test; it isn't a license or academic credit.

About this listing. Pulled automatically from Varda Space's public job board and refreshed daily; closed roles are removed. Mars Mining Co. is not the employer, does not take applications and does not screen candidates. Field and level labels come from the job title and can be wrong.

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