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Salary: USD 119,543 - 152,749 / annual
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems and reentry capsules. The company designs, manufactures, and operates its W-Series vehicles entirely in-house, from satellite buses to heat shields to processing payloads.
The Mechanical Design & Test Engineer II, Automation role focuses on designing and building bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies spaceflight hardware for orbit. This is a hands-on position where you will design, build, and own sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems including propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, and spacecraft-level integration testing platforms. The role emphasizes production-enabling equipment as the top priority.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations, including data acquisition systems (Pelican DAQ, load cell DAQ, accelerometer DAQ), thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, liquid nitrogen), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, transducers, solenoids, flowmeters)
- Ensure test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance
- Serve as the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, propulsion test stands, propellant fill carts, propellant gas benches, propellant 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
- Champion sustainable engineering practices with thorough documentation, clear procedures, and accessible schematics to enable rapid onboarding
The tech stack is modern, featuring a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling built in-house. You will integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms, managing both rapid R&D test setups and long-term infrastructure improvements.
Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. The company was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov and is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley.
Note: This role requires U.S. person status (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by immigration law) due to ITAR export-control requirements.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field
- 3+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation
- Extensive experience with Solidworks, NX CAD, or comparable CAD software
- Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, and connectors
- Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software (company 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 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
- Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift and end-to-end ownership is expected
PREFERRED:
- 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 risk-reduction solutions
- Programming experience in low-level firmware or high-level Python
