Senior Mechanical Test Engineer – Spaceflight Automation

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Relocation assistance

Stock options

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Relocation support

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to build bespoke GSE and test systems for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation subsystems, own end-to-end test infrastructure from concept through commissioning, and collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive schedules.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• 5+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Experience with Solidworks, NX CAD or comparable.
• Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, etc.
• Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software; migration to EPLAN is in progress.
• Hands‑on experience with high‑pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Environmental test experience: TVAC, thermal cycling, vibration testing.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or complex, multi‑subsystem test infrastructure.
• Hands‑on experience integrating with industrial hardware over 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, dupers, 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 edit 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.

Skills

Solidworks

NX CAD

Electrical wiring

PLC systems

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Modbus

RS-232/485

Altium

EPLAN

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Solidworks

NX CAD

Altium

EPLAN

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to build bespoke GSE and test systems for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation subsystems, own end-to-end test infrastructure from concept through commissioning, and collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive schedules.