Senior Spacecraft Ground Systems & Controls Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

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On-site in El Segundo

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and own GSE, test stands, environmental chambers, and integration test rigs using a modern stack including Beckhoff EtherCAT.

You will collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing to deliver scalable test systems on aggressive timelines, while championing sustainable engineering practices and hands-on

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in test automation, controls, or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience with EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and IEC 61131-3.
• Comfort designing electrical panels and debugging hardware.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced startup environments with end-to-end ownership.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment for flight hardware qualification.
• Integrate with external hardware including environmental chambers and pressure systems.
• Develop and extend internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling.
• Advise on real-time control implementations and architecture decisions.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from design to commissioning.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams.
• Promote sustainable engineering practices to ease ramp-up for new engineers.

Skills

EtherCAT

TwinCAT 3

PLC programming

Automation testing

Electrical panels

GSE development

Real-time control

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT

IEC 61131-3

Grafana/InfluxDB

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and own GSE, test stands, environmental chambers, and integration test rigs using a modern stack including Beckhoff EtherCAT.

You will collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing to deliver scalable test systems on aggressive timelines, while championing sustainable engineering practices and hands-on