Site Reliability Internship - Spring 2027

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. 

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

About This Role 

Spring internships will range between the months of January and May. 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. 

Responsibilities

• Deploy 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

Basic Qualifications

• 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

Preferred Skills And Experience 

• 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

Compensation

• Hourly Rate: $33.00
• Housing stipend for interns relocating to the area
• Commuter benefit to support local transportation

Benefits

Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits): 

Health & Wellness 

• Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays 
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance 
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses 
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers) 
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic 
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents 

Financial & Retirement 

• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up 
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement 
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed 

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

ITAR Requirements

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).

E-Verify Statement

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

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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.