SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Varda Space Industries is building commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems and reentry capsules. The Controls & Automation team develops sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems that qualify spaceflight hardware for orbit, including propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, and spacecraft-level integration testing.
In this role, you will design, build, and own GSE and test systems end-to-end. Key responsibilities include:
- Design and maintain test systems and ground support equipment for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations
- Integrate with diverse 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 using Beckhoff TwinCAT 3
- Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, evaluating PLC-based versus Linux-based approaches for high-frequency control applications
- Build electrical cabinets, wire panels, and own systems from electrical design through commissioning
- Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure on aggressive timelines
- Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable team ramp-up and reliable system maintenance
You bring a Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering (or related field) and 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, or industrial automation. You have hands-on experience integrating industrial hardware over protocols like EtherCAT, Modbus, or RS-232/485 serial. You're comfortable with at least one modern PLC ecosystem—ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3)—and can work across the full stack: control software, electrical panel design, cabinet wiring, and hardware debugging. You thrive in fast-paced startup environments with shifting priorities and end-to-end ownership.
Preferred qualifications include strong intuition for PLC versus Python orchestration tradeoffs, experience with custom in-house control frameworks, advanced EtherCAT expertise (DC sync, ENI configuration, master implementation), production TwinCAT 3 experience, deterministic hard real-time control loop design (sub-millisecond cycle times), familiarity with time-series data tools (Grafana, InfluxDB), aerospace experience, and environmental test background (TVAC, thermal cycling).
