Spacecraft Test Automation Engineer II

Vardaspace; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Relocation support

Stock options

Job summary

Varda, based in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation, to design and build advanced ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing. The role emphasizes end-to-end ownership from concept through commissioning.

You will work with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams, maintain high uptime and apply modern PLC/ EtherCAT tooling. On-site, competitive compensation and benefits accompany stock incentives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• 3+ 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.
• Experience with Altium or comparable schematic design software (migration to EPLAN).
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Environmental test experience including TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or complex 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 and thermal control systems.
• Test infrastructure uptime targets and predictable performance.
• Be the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, and gas/液体 benches.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from electrical design through commissioning.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive timelines.
• Read, deploy and edit Varda's PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling as needed.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices to enable new engineers to ramp quickly.

Skills

Mechanical design

Industrial automation

GSE integration

Solidworks

Electrical wiring

PLC programming

Python

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Altium

NX CAD

Pelican DAQ

Job description

Varda, based in El Segundo, CA, seeks a Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation, to design and build advanced ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing. The role emphasizes end-to-end ownership from concept through commissioning.

You will work with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams, maintain high uptime and apply modern PLC/ EtherCAT tooling. On-site, competitive compensation and benefits accompany stock incentives.