Senior Ground Support Mechanical Design Engineer

Varda Space Industries•El Segundo, CA

10h•$140,333 - $179,314•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer builds bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies 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 systems. The technology stack includes an in-house custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling. Enabling high-cadence, production-supporting equipment is the top priority. The engineer integrates mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms, implementing solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and ongoing support. The role manages rapid R&D test setups as well as long-term test infrastructure improvements, and is responsible for ensuring infrastructure achieves more than 99% uptime and predictable performance. The position is based on-site in El Segundo, California. Salary for the Senior level is $140,333–$179,314 per year. The employee will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards. Because the role involves access to export-controlled items, Varda’s policy is to hire U.S. persons permitted to access its technology without an export license.

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.
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 communication 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 of problems is expected.
Must be a U.S. person permitted to access the company’s export-controlled technology without an export license.

Nice To Haves

Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development.
Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and associated documentation requirements.
Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating solutions to reduce safety-related risks.
Programming experience in 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.
Ensure test infrastructure achieves more than 99% uptime and predictable performance.
Serve as the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure, including centrifuges, TVACs, propulsion test stands, propulsion 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.
Champion sustainable engineering practices that help new engineers ramp up on the technology stack and support reliable maintenance of production systems.
Thoroughly document systems with clear, accessible procedures and schematics.