Automation & Controls Engineer II — Spaceflight Test

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO +12 paid holidays

Company-paid Medical, Dental, Vision

Relocation assistance

Stock options / long-term incentives

Relocation support

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks an Automation and Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.

You will develop a modern stack including a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling, influencing architecture decisions and setting enduring standards across programs. This is an on-site role with collaboration across propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Experience with EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485 or similar protocols.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and IEC 61131-3.
• Full-stack capabilities: electrical panel design, wiring, debugging hardware, and control software.
• Startup environment experience with end-to-end ownership of problems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
• Integrate with a wide range of external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
• Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
• Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, including evaluation of PLC-based (TwinCAT 3) versus Linux-based approaches for high-frequency control applications.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from electrical design through commissioning.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure that meets their needs on aggressive timelines.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably.

Skills

EtherCAT

Modbus

RS-232/485

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

IEC 61131-3

Electrical panel design

Python automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field

Tools

TwinCAT 3

Grafana

InfluxDB

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks an Automation and Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.

You will develop a modern stack including a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling, influencing architecture decisions and setting enduring standards across programs. This is an on-site role with collaboration across propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams.