People Manager (Human Resources)

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.Vardas 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.

Reporting to the People Director the People Manager will build and scale the People infrastructure that powers Vardas mission and rapid growth. This role owns the systems processes and programs that create clarity accountability and operational excellence across the company while serving as a strategic People partner to assigned business units.

This role is deeply hands-on and execution-focused. You will personally run core People processes end-to-end fix operational gaps build workflows from scratch and ensure day-to-day People operations run smoothly in a fast-scaling aerospace environment. This is not a strategy-only role it requires a builder mentality operational rigor and a willingness to roll up your sleeves daily.

Youll partner closely with People leadership Finance Legal Payroll Recruiting and business leaders across Varda.

Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary People Business Partner for assigned business units.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders to understand priorities and translate them into People strategies.
• Partner on organizational design workforce planning team effectiveness and organizational change.
• Coach managers on leadership effectiveness performance development and building high-performing teams.
• Provide practical guidance on talent decisions promotions organizational changes and manager effectiveness.
• Balance strategic partnership with hands-on execution ensuring People strategies translate into operational results.
• Anticipate organizational needs and proactively develop People solutions that support business growth.

Talent & Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead annual talent processes: performance reviews calibration promotions succession planning and development planning.
• Support leaders in identifying developing and retaining top talent.
• Build leadership capability through coaching feedback and manager development.
• Drive consistency and accountability across People programs and leadership practices.

Compensation Equity & People Programs

• Support managers with compensation recommendations aligned with Vardas philosophy and market practices.
• Partner on equity program administration and communication.
• Lead rollout and adoption of company-wide People initiatives (performance management leadership development engagement recognition talent programs).
• Develop manager communications training and resources to ensure successful program implementation.
• Gather feedback and continuously improve People programs based on business needs.

People Operations & Operational Excellence

• • Execute core People processes directly onboarding offboarding transfers promotions and employee changes ensuring accuracy and speed.
  • Own day-to-day People operations and resolve issues quickly with a bias toward action.
  • Build document and continuously improve workflows SOPs and People systems.
  • Identify operational gaps and personally drive fixes improvements and process simplification.
  • Manage high-volume operational tasks with precision and urgency.
  • Partner with Payroll Recruiting Finance and Legal to ensure seamless execution of People processes across the employee lifecycle.
  • Maintain accurate employee data and support workforce reporting metrics and organizational insights.
  • Conduct periodic audits of People processes and data to ensure accuracy consistency and compliance.
  • Ensure People programs comply with federal state and local employment laws while simplifying and scaling operational processes.

• 8 years of progressive HR experience including HRBP and/or People Operations roles.
• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Accounting Business Administration or a related field.
• Startup experience required (or experience building new groups within a larger company).
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a hands-on People operator in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable managing both high-level strategy and day-to-day execution without relying on large teams or administrative support.
• Proven track record of building processes fixing broken systems and driving operational outcomes directly.
• Experience partnering directly with senior leaders on organizational strategy talent management and change management.
• Solid experience supporting compensation planning promotions and organizational design.
• Experience implementing and scaling People programs in a growing organization.
• Ability to use People data and metrics to support workforce planning and influence decisions.
• High knowledge of HRIS systems compensation practices and equity administration.
• Excellent understanding of California employment law and HR compliance.
• High business acumen with the ability to balance strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

• Experience in high-growth technology aerospace or pharmaceutical/life sciences environments.
• Experience managing coaching and mentoring direct reports.

• People systems and operational processes are scalable accurate and efficient.
• Leaders feel supported challenged and empowered by an exceptional People partner.
• Performance management processes are consistent clear and actionable.
• Reporting and workforce data drive better business decisions.
• Processes become simpler faster and more effective as the company scales.

• Salary range: $140000 - $170000/per year
• This role ison-sitein 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 incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

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).