Automation & Controls Engineer II - Spaceflight Test Systems

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation assistance

Health insurance

Dental & Vision coverage

401(k) with employer match

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA, is seeking an Automation and Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification.

You will lead ground support equipment development for flight hardware and ensure robust reliability across manufacturing operations. Responsibilities include integrating with thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, and precision instrumentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485 serial, or similar.
• Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem - ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3).
• Comfort working across the full stack: writing control software, designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, and debugging hardware.

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

TwinCAT 3

PLC programming

Electrical panels

Hardware integration

Real-time control

Python scripting

GSE development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Grafana / InfluxDB

EtherCAT tooling

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA, is seeking an Automation and Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification.

You will lead ground support equipment development for flight hardware and ensure robust reliability across manufacturing operations. Responsibilities include integrating with thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, and precision instrumentation.