Hardware Controls Engineer II - Automation

vardaspace; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Varda is hiring a Hardware Automation and Controls Engineer II to design and build sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification. You will develop real-time control solutions, including PLC-based and Linux-based approaches, and work with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive timelines.

You will own end-to-end systems, from electrical design and wiring cabinets to commissioning, in a fast-paced startup

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 2+ years in test automation, controls, or industrial automation.
• Hands-on with industrial hardware communications (EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485).
• Experience with PLC ecosystems, preferably Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with IEC 61131-3.
• Ability to design electrical panels and wiring, and to debug hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification.
• Integrate with external hardware like vactors such as thermal chambers and data acquisition systems.
• Develop and extend the internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling.
• Evaluate real-time control approaches (TwinCAT 3 vs Linux-based) for high-frequency control.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own end-to-end systems from design to commissioning.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams on timelines.
• Promote sustainable engineering practices to help new engineers ramp up.

Skills

Automation experience

Real-time control

Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Modbus

Job description

About Varda

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. Varda's 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.

About This Role

The Hardware Automation and Controls Engineer II builds bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies spaceflight hardware for orbit. They design, build, and own sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems: propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, spacecraft-level integration testing and more! Our stack is modern, including a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling built in-house. They will have a meaningful impact on architecture decisions, and the chance to define standards that will outlast any single program.

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.

Basic 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 communication standards.
• Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem - ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3), or a demonstrated eagerness to develop deep expertise there.
• Comfort working across the full stack: writing control software, designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, and debugging hardware.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift, and end-to-end ownership of problems is expected.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong intuition for when to use real-time PLC code versus higher-level Python orchestration, and a strong understanding of the trade-off.
• Experience working with custom or in-house control frameworks, rather than relying solely on vendor-provided stacks.
• Advanced EtherCAT expertise - including DC sync, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work.
• Production experience with TwinCAT 3, structured text, and the broader IEC 61131-3 language suite.
• Experience designing deterministic, hard real-time control loops with sub-millisecond cycle times.
• Familiarity with time-series data acquisition and visualization tools such as Grafana, InfluxDB, or similar platforms.
• Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development.
• Environmental test experience, including TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
• Hands-on experience working with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex, multi-subsystem test i