Senior Spaceflight Automation & Controls Engineer

Vardaspace; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO policy

100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

12-weeks parental leave with supplemental disability leave

401(k) with 6% employer match

Dog-friendly office space

Complimentary EV charging

Job summary

Vardaspace is seeking a Senior Automation and Controls Software Engineer in El Segundo, CA. In this role, you will develop custom test infrastructure and engineering solutions for spaceflight hardware, with a significant emphasis on automation and controls. Your expertise will guide architecture decisions and help shape test automation processes throughout the organization.

Ideal candidates will have a BS in engineering and over 5 years of industry experience, particularly in test automation, controls, and integration with industrial hardware using protocols like EtherCAT. The position offers competitive compensation and benefits in a dynamic startup environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in test automation, controls, or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience with integrations over EtherCAT and Modbus.
• Comfort working across the stack: control software, electrical design, and hardware debugging.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems for flight hardware qualification.
• Integrate external hardware like thermal vacuum chambers and data acquisition systems.
• Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementations.

Skills

Python programming

Integration with industrial hardware

PLC control systems

EtherCAT expertise

Education

BS in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Docker

Job description

Vardaspace is seeking a Senior Automation and Controls Software Engineer in El Segundo, CA. In this role, you will develop custom test infrastructure and engineering solutions for spaceflight hardware, with a significant emphasis on automation and controls. Your expertise will guide architecture decisions and help shape test automation processes throughout the organization.

Ideal candidates will have a BS in engineering and over 5 years of industry experience, particularly in test automation, controls, and integration with industrial hardware using protocols like EtherCAT. The position offers competitive compensation and benefits in a dynamic startup environment.