Senior Contracts Specialist

Senior Contracts SpecialistLow 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.About This RoleNobody has written the contracts for manufacturing in orbit and returning product to Earth at hypersonic speeds. You will.As Senior Contracts Specialist, you'll own first-of-kind agreements across microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing, hypersonic reentry vehicles, and novel government space programs. You'll work directly with the Contracts Manager on a lean team, where one person's work visibly moves the company. When you remove a blocker, a mission moves forward. When you protect Varda's interests well, we can take on bigger bets.You'll manage the full contract lifecycle across government and commercial customers: pre-award strategy and proposal support, negotiation, FAR/DFARS compliance, export-control management, and post-award execution and closeout. Your judgment and cross-functional communication will directly determine how fast Varda can move.What You'll DoRepresent Varda as the counterpart contracting officer for government and commercial missionsLead or support negotiations with customers, building strong working relationships while protecting the company's interestsClear the path to signature quickly, finding the structure that works for both sidesKeep mission management, operations, proposals, sales, product, and leadership aligned with signed contracts and regulationsOwn compliance with the FAR, DFARS, and export-control regulationsRun contract closeout, including final deliveries, payments, and resolving open issuesMaintain accurate contract and business filesAdvise leadership on Varda's rights and obligations under its agreementsDraft, review, and negotiate NDAs, customer agreements, partnership agreements, and other contractsWhat You BringBA/BS in law, business, finance, or a related field (equivalent professional experience considered)4–6 years of hands-on contract management experience, with an emphasis on government contractsExperience with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreementsWorking knowledge of compliance under the FAR, DFARS, and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS)Experience negotiating NDAsA track record of making persuasive written and verbal arguments in negotiationsThe ability to juggle competing priorities and hit aggressive deadlinesExperience with export-controlled materials under ITAR and EARWillingness to travel up to 10% as neededAbility to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearanceThis is a full-time, 100% on-site role in El Segundo, CABonus PointsActive Top Secret/SCI eligible clearanceExperience structuring commercial agreements in dual-use or regulated technology environments, including IP licensing, data rights, or export-controlled deliverablesHands-on experience in spacecraft integration, satellite manufacturing, or GMP/regulated pharmaceutical production, where process discipline and documentation integrity are non-negotiableCompensationBase salary: $155,000–$175,000 per yearStock options and/or long-term cash awards, so you share in what we buildOn-site in El Segundo, CALeveling and base salary are determined by job-related skills, education, experience, and performance