Senior Mechanical Design & Test Engineer, Space Automation

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design & Test Engineer, Automation to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing. They design, build, and own GSE and test systems with a modern stack, including PLCs and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling.

You will enable high cadence production equipment, integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, and collaborate across propulsion, avionics, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD or equivalent.
• Experience wiring cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors.
• Experience with Altium or similar; migrating to EPLAN.
• Hands-on with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Environmental test experience (TVAC, thermal cycling, vibration).
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or complex test infrastructure.
• Hands-on with EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT3 or eagerness to develop.
• Thrives in fast-paced startup with end-to-end ownership.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing, incl. DAQ, thermal control, PLC cabinets, gas/liquid systems.
• Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime.
• Be the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure incl. centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, fill carts, gas benches, water flow stands.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own end-to-end systems from design to commissioning.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing to meet needs on tight timelines.
• Read and modify Varda's PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling as needed.
• Promote sustainable engineering practices and maintain thorough documentation.

Skills

Mechanical design

Industrial automation

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

NX CAD

Altium

EPLAN

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design & Test Engineer, Automation to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing. They design, build, and own GSE and test systems with a modern stack, including PLCs and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling.

You will enable high cadence production equipment, integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, and collaborate across propulsion, avionics, and