Spaceflight Test Systems Engineer II — Automation & Controls

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

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Equity / stock options

401(k) with employer match

Cell phone reimbursement

One Medical memberships

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking an Automation and Controls Engineer II to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification. You will design, assemble, and operate ground support equipment and test stands, contributing to architecture decisions for real-time control and integration with propulsion and avionics teams.

The role requires a Bachelor's in engineering and 2+ years in test automation, with hands-on PLC/EtherCAT experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer/Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience with industrial hardware communication protocols (EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485).
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, preferably Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3).
• Comfort across control software, electrical panel design, wiring, and debugging hardware.
• Thrives in a fast-paced startup with end-to-end ownership.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.
• Integrate with external hardware: thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition, instrumentation.
• Develop and extend internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling for evolving needs.
• Evaluate architecture for real-time control: PLC-based vs Linux-based approaches.
• Assemble cabinets, wire panels, and own end-to-end system commissioning.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to meet aggressive timelines.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices to ramp new engineers on stack.

Skills

EtherCAT

TwinCAT 3

PLC programming

Electrical panels

GSE testing

Hard real-time control

IEC 61131-3

Education

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

Tools

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

EtherCAT tooling

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking an Automation and Controls Engineer II to build bespoke test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification. You will design, assemble, and operate ground support equipment and test stands, contributing to architecture decisions for real-time control and integration with propulsion and avionics teams.

The role requires a Bachelor's in engineering and 2+ years in test automation, with hands-on PLC/EtherCAT experience.