Ground Systems Automation & Controls Engineer II

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

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking an Automation & Controls Engineer II in El Segundo, CA to build test infrastructures that qualify spaceflight hardware for orbit.

You will design and own ground support equipment, including propulsion test stands, environmental chambers, and integration testing, using a modern stack with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT tooling. You’ll influence architecture decisions and set internal standards for the program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• 2+ years in test automation, controls, or industrial automation.
• Hands-on with industrial hardware communication protocols (EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485).
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, ideally TwinCAT 3.
• Ability to design electrical panels, wire cabinets, and write control software.
• Thrives in fast-paced startup environments with end-to-end ownership.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.
• Integrate with external hardware like thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, and data acquisition.
• Develop and extend PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling.
• Evaluate real-time control approaches (TwinCAT 3 vs Linux) for high-frequency control.
• Assemble cabinets, wire panels, and own end-to-end systems.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to meet timelines.
• Promote sustainable engineering practices to enable ramp-up of new engineers.

Skills

Test automation

Industrial automation

PLC expertise

Electrical panels design

Cross-functional collaboration

Startup mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field

Tools

EtherCAT

Modbus TCP/RTU

RS-232/485

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

IEC 61131-3

Grafana

InfluxDB

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. is seeking an Automation & Controls Engineer II in El Segundo, CA to build test infrastructures that qualify spaceflight hardware for orbit.

You will design and own ground support equipment, including propulsion test stands, environmental chambers, and integration testing, using a modern stack with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT tooling. You’ll influence architecture decisions and set internal standards for the program.