Spaceflight Test & Automation Engineer II

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

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term cash awards

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, California, seeks a Terrestrial Automation & Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own bespoke ground test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will work with a modern stack, including Beckhoff TwinCAT 3, and contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control while collaborating across propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams on aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience with EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485, or similar communication standards.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and IEC 61131-3.
• Designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware, and writing control software.
• Thrives in a fast-paced startup with end-to-end ownership of problems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
• Integrate with external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and instrumentation.
• Develop and extend internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support program needs.
• Evaluate real-time control approaches (TwinCAT 3 vs Linux-based) for high-frequency control.
• 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 timelines.
• Promote sustainable engineering practices to help new engineers ramp quickly.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT

Modbus

RS-232/485

Electrical panels

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, California, seeks a Terrestrial Automation & Controls Engineer II to design, build, and own bespoke ground test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

You will work with a modern stack, including Beckhoff TwinCAT 3, and contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control while collaborating across propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams on aggressive timelines.