Summary
Dan Craig is a software engineering manager with 15 years of experience building mission-critical systems for aerospace and web SaaS, currently leading software engineering at Varda Space Industries. He progressed from hands-on avionics and DO-178B flight-software work at Avidyne to architecting CI, simulation, and test tooling for SpaceX, then to principal and managerial roles focused on vehicle software tooling. Known for translating ambiguous customer and stakeholder needs into clean designs and rapid delivery, he blends deep systems rigor with pragmatic engineering velocity. Based in Mission Viejo, CA, Dan pairs MIT aerospace training with full-stack and DevOps experience from early SaaS roles, giving him a rare cross-domain perspective. Colleagues rely on him for reliably shipping auditable, test-driven solutions in high-consequence environments. He’s limitlessly curious and often surfaces subtle requirement gaps early, avoiding costly late-stage rework.
15 years of coding experience
21 years of employment as a software developer
SB, SM, Aerospace Engineering, SB, SM, Aerospace Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Heritage Hall