Senior Ground Systems Automation & Controls Engineer

Varda Space•El Segundo, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Automation & Controls 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. Varda’s modern stack includes a custom PLC framework and in-house Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling. The engineer will influence architecture decisions and define standards that support programs over time. This is an on-site role in El Segundo, California. The salary range is $140,333–$179,314 per year. The role is eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards. Due to access to export-controlled items, Varda’s policy is to hire only U.S. persons who are authorized to access the 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 test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
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.
Comfort working across the full stack, including designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware, and writing control software.
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 authorized to access the company’s export-controlled technology without an export license.

Nice To Haves

Strong intuition for when to use real-time PLC code versus higher-level Python orchestration, and understanding of the tradeoffs.
Experience with custom or in-house control frameworks rather than relying solely on vendor-provided stacks.
Advanced EtherCAT expertise, including DC sync, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work.
Production experience with TwinCAT 3, structured text, and the broader IEC 61131-3 language suite.
Experience designing deterministic, hard real-time control loops with sub-millisecond cycle times.
Familiarity with time-series data acquisition and visualization tools such as Grafana, InfluxDB, or similar platforms.
Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development.
Environmental test experience, including TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex, multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and associated documentation requirements.
Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating solutions to reduce safety-related risks.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
Integrate external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
Develop and extend Varda’s internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
Contribute to architecture decisions for real-time control implementation, including evaluating PLC-based (TwinCAT 3) versus Linux-based approaches for high-frequency control applications.
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.
Promote sustainable engineering practices that help new engineers ramp up on the tech stack and enable reliable maintenance of production systems.