EHS Engineer

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.

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 (coming soon).

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

About This Role

Varda Space Industries is looking for an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Engineer to support our facilities and labs on Earth. Varda is a fast paced and challenging environment. EHS team members must be comfortable working on complex chemical and physical systems ranging from chemical propulsion to pharmaceuticals to spacecraft development.

This position requires strong overall technical skills excellent customer service and effective organizational management. The candidate should be a self-starter self-motivator and possess ingenuity to work in this novel environment.

Knowledge of regulatory and environmental policies at the local state and federal level and experience in building and implementing EHS policies in a startup environment are integral to the success of this role. The selected candidate must have strong overall technical skills excellent customer service skills and superior organizational and prioritization management skills. The candidate should also be a self-starter self-motivator and possess ingenuity to excel at this position.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with all local state and federal regulatory standards (e.g. Cal/OSHA Cal/EPA RCRA Fire Code) including recordkeeping and reporting requirements
• Ensure compliance with industry standards (e.g. NIOSH ANSI NFPA) where applicable
• Conduct root cause corrective action (RCCA) investigations as needed working closely with leadership to implement any corrective actions to mitigate EHS risks
• Oversee accumulation and disposal of hazardous waste including routine inspections
• Ensure safe handling and processing of pharmaceuticals through laboratory and equipment design and development and implementation of safety procedures/systems
• Ensure safe handling of chemicals and hazardous materials through Hazard Communication (HazCom) program elements (e.g. SDS management container labeling) and control measures (e.g. PPE)
• Keep up to date with new regulations and industry standards updating internal EHS policies and procedures to maintain compliance
• Implement and manage EHS training program developing in-house courses applicable to Varda operations coordinating and administering training sessions and managing training requirements and recordkeeping
• Coordinate emergency response procedures develop/maintain site emergency action plan and organize emergency drills and related training (e.g. first aid/CPR/AED)
• Support regular maintenance and inspection of safety systems and equipment (e.g. emergency eyewashes/showers fire extinguishers fire alarm and suppression systems)
• Build out and maintain EHS data management system functionality and user interface
• Develop and implement periodic inspection program to proactively identify and mitigate EHS risks
• Develop and implement internal EHS audit program to ensure efficacy of periodic inspection program
• Support contractor safety program to ensure planned work procedures include adequate safety controls
• Implement and support other EHS programs including (but not limited to) electrical safety lockout/tagout (LOTO) fall protection powered industrial trucks (PITs) machine guarding cranes/hoists confined spaces ergonomics hearing conservation respiratory protection air quality and heat illness prevention

Basic Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant EHS experience in an engineering pharmaceutical or manufacturing environment
• Bachelors degree in EHS-related field (e.g. occupational safety & health environmental engineering/safety physical sciences)
• Extensive knowledge of California environmental (e.g. Cal/EPA DTSC SCAQMD) and health/safety (e.g. Cal/OSHA) standards and regulations
• Experience with developing and administering EHS training material tailored to business operations
• Expertise in managing chemical hazards and HazCom (e.g. safety data sheets SDS primary/secondary labeling hazardous properties and compatibility)
• Experience with managing hazardous waste accumulation and disposal
• Ability to make decisions and recommendations about complex EHS situations and topics when the solution is not clear
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Atlassian suites
• Physically capable of performing tasks with prolonged standing/walking (e.g. inspections) and lifting/carrying up to 25 pounds at a time
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced work environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and/or equivalent professional certification
• Masters degree in EHS-related field (e.g. occupational safety & health environmental engineering/safety physical sciences)
• Experience in developing EHS policies and systems from the ground-up in a startup environment
• Experience in developing and implementing safety procedures for high-hazard operations (e.g. propulsion testing heavy machinery operation chemical handling/storage)
• Experience in designing implementing and maintaining EHS data management systems
• Knowledge of and/or experience with industrial hygiene sampling (e.g. airborne chemicals dusts noise radiation)
• Knowledge of and/or experience with environmental permitting (e.g. air quality stormwater industrial wastewater)
• Knowledge of and/or experience with pharmaceutical hygiene and safety (e.g. potent compounds biohazards)

Additional Details and Compensation

• Salary range: $113000 - $145000
• This is a full-time on-site role based in El Segundo CA
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills education level experience level and job performance
• You will be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• Offer compensation also includes the ability to purchase company stock through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan

• 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. At present some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than U.S. Persons as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items our current 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 in the U.S.)

  Learn more about the ITAR here.

Benefits