Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Spaceflight Automation

Front Door Defense; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Stock options

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Job summary

Varda in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation to design and deploy high‑uptime ground test systems for spaceflight hardware. You will build bespoke test infrastructure, integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, and own test platforms from concept to support.

This is an on‑site role in El Segundo, supporting rapid R&D and long‑term test upgrades. The role requires a BS in Mechanical Engineering, 5+ years in mechanical design or

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations including data acquisition systems, thermal control systems, PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems.
• 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 needs on aggressive timelines.
• Read, deploy and edit Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support program needs.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack.

Skills

SolidWorks

NX CAD

Electrical wiring

Altium to EPLAN

TVAC testing

Propulsion test stands

EtherCAT

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Pelican DAQ

PLC cabinets

Harnesses & connectors

Job description

Varda in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation to design and deploy high‑uptime ground test systems for spaceflight hardware. You will build bespoke test infrastructure, integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, and own test platforms from concept to support.

This is an on‑site role in El Segundo, supporting rapid R&D and long‑term test upgrades. The role requires a BS in Mechanical Engineering, 5+ years in mechanical design or