Senior Ground Support Mechanical Design Engineer

Varda Space•El Segundo, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing and reliable, economical reentry capsules. Its W-Series vehicles and associated systems are designed, built, and operated in-house. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with additional offices in Washington, DC, and Huntsville, Alabama. The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer builds bespoke test infrastructure to qualify spaceflight hardware for orbit. The role designs, builds, and owns sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems, including propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, and spacecraft-level integration testing. The position integrates mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive platforms and implements solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and ongoing support. It supports both rapid R&D test setups and long-term infrastructure improvements, with high-cadence, production-enabling equipment as the top priority. The role is on-site in El Segundo, California.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
Extensive experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD, or comparable software.
Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, or similar systems.
Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software; Varda is migrating 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 other complex, multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
Hands-on experience integrating industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485 serial, or similar standards.
Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3), or demonstrated eagerness to develop deep expertise in it.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift and end-to-end ownership is expected.
Must qualify as a U.S. person permitted to access export-controlled technology without an export license, as described in the posting.

Nice To Haves

Aerospace experience, particularly spacecraft testing or GSE development.
Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and related documentation requirements.
Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating solutions to reduce safety-related risks.
Programming experience, either low-level firmware or high-level Python.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment for flight-hardware qualification and manufacturing operations, including data acquisition systems, propulsion test stands, fill carts, thermal-control systems, PLC cabinets, and gas and liquid systems.
Deliver test infrastructure with greater than 99% uptime and predictable performance.
Serve as the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure, including centrifuges, TVACs, propulsion test stands and fill carts, propulsion gas benches, propulsion water-flow stands, and torch test stands.
Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end, from electrical design through commissioning.
Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure on aggressive timelines.
Read, deploy, and make minor edits to Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
Promote sustainable engineering practices that help new engineers ramp up on the technology stack and support reliable maintenance of production systems.
Ensure systems are thoroughly documented with clear, accessible procedures and schematics.