Spaceflight Mechanical Design & Test Engineer II

vardaspace; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Varda is seeking a Mechanical Design & Test Engineer II, Automation to build bespoke test infrastructure qualifying spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and own ground support equipment and test systems including propulsion test stands, environmental chambers, and data acquisition, using a modern stack with PLCs and EtherCAT.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, delivering high cadence, production-enabling equipment and supporting rapid R&D

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience using SolidWorks, NX CAD or comparable.
• Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, etc.
• Experience with Altium or comparable schematic design; migrating to EPLAN.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Environmental test experience including TVAC, thermal cycling, vibration testing.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or complex test infrastructure.
• Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 or willingness to develop expertise.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.
• Ensure >99% uptime and reliable performance of test infrastructure.
• Serve as Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including various stands and benches.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from design to commissioning.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing to meet timelines.
• Read, deploy and edit Varda's PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling as needed.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices to enable rapid ramp of new engineers.

Skills

Mechanical design

Industrial automation

Electrical wiring

Beckhoff TwinCAT

High-pressure fluid systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

NX CAD

Altium

EPLAN

EtherCAT

Modbus

RS-232/485

TwinCAT 3

Job description

Varda is seeking a Mechanical Design & Test Engineer II, Automation to build bespoke test infrastructure qualifying spaceflight hardware. You will design, build, and own ground support equipment and test systems including propulsion test stands, environmental chambers, and data acquisition, using a modern stack with PLCs and EtherCAT.

You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems, delivering high cadence, production-enabling equipment and supporting rapid R&D