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Varda Space

In-orbit manufacturing with reentry return services

Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

Controls & Automation EngineeringPosted on Nov 13
Full-timeEl Segundo, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field is required.
  • At least five years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation is required.
  • Hands-on experience integrating industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485 serial, or similar communication standards is required.
  • Experience with at least one modern programmable logic controller (PLC) ecosystem is required; Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3) is preferred, or demonstrated eagerness to develop deep expertise in it.
  • Ability to work across the full stack, including designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware, and writing control software, is required.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment with shifting priorities and expected end-to-end ownership is required.

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 the company's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
  • Contribute to architecture decisions on 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, guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure on aggressive timelines.
  • Promote sustainable engineering practices that help new engineers ramp up on the technology stack and support reliable production-system maintenance.

Desired Qualifications

  • Strong intuition for choosing between real-time PLC code and higher-level Python orchestration, and understanding of the tradeoffs.
  • Experience working with custom or in-house control frameworks rather than relying solely on vendor-provided stacks.
  • Advanced EtherCAT expertise, including distributed clock synchronization, 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 thermal vacuum testing, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
  • Hands-on experience working 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 proposed solutions for reducing safety-related risks.

About the Company

Varda Space

In-orbit manufacturing with reentry return services

Varda Space Industries provides in-space manufacturing by operating production facilities in low Earth orbit and returning finished goods to Earth using reentry capsules. Clients send materials or designs to Varda’s in-orbit production line, where microgravity enables manufacturing processes not possible on Earth. After production, capsules re-enter Earth's atmosphere to deliver goods back to customers, supported by in-orbit equipment and reliable reentry systems. The company aims to make low Earth orbit accessible for multiple industries by building end-to-end space manufacturing infrastructure and industrializing orbit for commercial use.

Company size
201-500
Company stage
Series D
Total funding
$609.5M
Headquarters
El Segundo, CA
Founded
2020

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