Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Controls – Space Test Systems

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, El Segundo, CA, is seeking a Senior Terrestrial Mechanical Design Engineer, Controls to design, build, and own advanced ground support equipment and test systems for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive platforms, manage rapid R&D setups and long-term infrastructure improvements, and work with propulsion, avionics, and GNC teams on aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• 5+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience using Solidworks, NX CAD or comparable.
• Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, etc.
• Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software. We are migrating to EPLAN.
• Hands-on experience working with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Environmental test experience incl. TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex, multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
• Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations including data acquisition systems and thermal control.
• Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance.
• Be the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, and gas benches.
• 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 on aggressive timelines.
• Read, deploy and modify the PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices and ensure thorough documentation.

Skills

Mechanical design

Industrial automation

Electrical wiring

Hands-on hardware

Fast-paced startup

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Solidworks

NX CAD

Altium

EPLAN

Job description

Varda Space Industries, El Segundo, CA, is seeking a Senior Terrestrial Mechanical Design Engineer, Controls to design, build, and own advanced ground support equipment and test systems for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive platforms, manage rapid R&D setups and long-term infrastructure improvements, and work with propulsion, avionics, and GNC teams on aggressive timelines.