Senior Spaceflight Test Engineer - GSE & Propulsion

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) with employer match

Relocation support

Health, dental, vision insurance

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to design and own ground support equipment and test systems for spaceflight hardware. You will enable high cadence production, integrate mechanical, electrical, and fluid subsystems, and lead end-to-end provisioning from concept through commissioning.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation, hands-on PLC work, and experience with aerospace test stands.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD or equivalent.
• Experience wiring cabinets and PLCs (harnesses, connectors).
• Hands-on with high-pressure gas or fluid systems; environmental test experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain GSE and test systems for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.
• Achieve >99% uptime and reliable performance of test infrastructure.
• Serve as Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including centrifuges and test stands.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive timelines.
• Read and edit internal PLC/ EtherCAT tooling to support needs.

Skills

Mechanical design

Automation

GSE development

EC/EtherCAT

Programmable logic

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks/NX CAD

Altium

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EC/EtherCAT tooling

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation, to design and own ground support equipment and test systems for spaceflight hardware. You will enable high cadence production, integrate mechanical, electrical, and fluid subsystems, and lead end-to-end provisioning from concept through commissioning.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation, hands-on PLC work, and experience with aerospace test stands.