Senior Mechanical Test Engineer - Space Systems Automation

Telemetry Today LLC; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Relocation support

401(k) match

Stock options

Cell phone reimbursement

Wellness reimbursement

Parental leave

One Medical memberships

Company barbeque/drinks

Job summary

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to design and build advanced ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation subsystems and ensure high uptime with robust data acquisition capabilities. The role requires 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation, experience with SolidWorks/NX CAD, and hands-on

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, including 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, 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 (Pelican DAQ, Load cell DAQ, Accelerometer DAQ, prop test stands, fill carts), thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, Ln2), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, ducers, solenoids, flowmeters).
• Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance.
• Be the 'Responsible Engineer' for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, prop fill carts, prop gas benches, prop water flow stands and torch test stands.
• 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.
• Read, deploy and make minor edits to Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program need.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably. All systems are thoroughly documented, with clear, accessible procedures and schematics.

Skills

Mechanical design

Industrial automation

Solidworks

NX CAD

Electrical wiring

Altium

Schematic design

Beckhoff TwinCAT

EtherCAT

Propulsion test stands

GSE development

PLC programming

TVAC testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Pelican DAQ

EtherCAT tooling

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Job description

Varda Space Industries, Inc. in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to design and build advanced ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation subsystems and ensure high uptime with robust data acquisition capabilities. The role requires 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation, experience with SolidWorks/NX CAD, and hands-on