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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, reentry capsules, and satellite buses. The company designs, manufactures, and operates its W-Series vehicles entirely in-house.
The Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation role is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems that qualify spaceflight hardware for orbit. This is a hands-on engineering position focused on enabling high-cadence production through reliable, well-documented test infrastructure.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing, including data acquisition systems, thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, liquid nitrogen), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, transducers, solenoids, flowmeters)
- Achieve >99% uptime and predictable performance across test infrastructure
- Serve as the Responsible Engineer for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs (thermal vacuum chambers), propulsion test stands, propellant fill carts, propellant gas benches, propellant water flow stands, and torch test stands
- Build electrical cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from electrical design through commissioning
- Partner with propulsion, avionics, guidance/navigation/control, 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
- Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms
- Manage both rapid R&D test setups and long-term infrastructure improvements
The role is based in El Segundo, California, where Varda operates its primary production facility. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon Valley.
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 with shifting priorities and end-to-end ownership expectations
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 solutions for reducing safety-related risks
- Programming experience in low-level firmware or high-level Python
Note: ITAR compliance required. Varda only hires "U.S. persons" (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or individuals admitted as refugees/granted asylum) due to access to export-controlled items.
