Senior Mechanical Design & Test Engineer, Automation

Varda Space Industries•El Segundo, CA

6d•$140,333 - $179,314•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Mechanical Design & Test Engineer, Automation 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. Varda uses a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling built in-house. Enabling high-cadence, production-enabling equipment is the top priority. The engineer integrates mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms, implements solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and ongoing support, and manages both rapid R&D test setups and long-term infrastructure improvements. The role is on-site in El Segundo, California. The stated annual salary range is $140,333–$179,314 for the Senior level. The employee will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards. Employment requires U.S. person status as defined in the posting, due to access to export-controlled items.

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 using Solidworks, NX CAD, or comparable software.
Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, and connectors.
Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software; the company is migrating to EPLAN.
Hands-on experience working 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.
Proven 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 as defined in the posting and be lawfully authorized to work in the United States.

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 proposed solutions for reducing 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/liquid systems.
Ensure test infrastructure achieves greater than 99% uptime and predictable performance.
Serve as the Responsible Engineer for 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 and enable reliable maintenance of production systems.
Thoroughly document systems with clear, accessible procedures and schematics.