Spaceflight Mechanical Test Engineer II - Automation

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Relocation support

Stock options

401(k) matching

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation to design and build bespoke test infrastructure for orbit-qualified hardware, including propulsion test stands and environmental chambers.

The role emphasizes end-to-end ownership of test systems, data acquisition, and integration with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams, with a strong focus on uptime and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Experience with Solidworks/NX CAD.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain GSE and test systems for flight hardware.
• Ensure >99% uptime and predictable performance.
• Serve as Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams.
• Modify PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling as needed.

Skills

Solidworks/NX CAD

Electrical wiring

EtherCAT/Modbus

TwinCAT 3

GSE development

Propulsion test stands

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Solidworks

NX CAD

Altium

EPLAN

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

PLC programming

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation to design and build bespoke test infrastructure for orbit-qualified hardware, including propulsion test stands and environmental chambers.

The role emphasizes end-to-end ownership of test systems, data acquisition, and integration with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams, with a strong focus on uptime and reliability.