Varda Space Industries
Ground Support Equipment Engineer - Automation & Controls
About this role
Varda seeks a Ground Support Equipment Engineer to design and build sophisticated test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification. You'll own systems end-to-end using a modern stack of custom PLC frameworks and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling, working across electrical design, controls software, and hardware integration in a fast-paced space tech startup.
What you'll do
- Design, build, and maintain ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification
- Integrate external hardware including thermal vacuum chambers, propulsion test stands, and precision instrumentation
- Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling
- Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation using PLC-based and Linux-based approaches
- Build electrical cabinets and wire panels, owning systems from design through commissioning
- Partner with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure on aggressive timelines
What they're looking for
- PLC programming, preferably Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3)
- Industrial hardware integration over EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485, or similar protocols
- Electrical panel design and cabinet wiring
- Real-time control systems and deterministic control loops
- Python or other high-level programming for orchestration
- Data acquisition and visualization tools
- Hands-on troubleshooting across hardware and software stack
- Aerospace or spacecraft testing experience
Opens the application — the Jobs AI extension fills it for you. Set up autofill
Opens the official application on the employer’s site. No login required.
Varda Space Industries
Varda Space Industries builds commercial spacecraft and orbital manufacturing systems for missions in low Earth orbit, including reentry capsules and satellite buses. The company is hiring mission operations engineers, software engineers (ground segment, flight, and embedded), and manufacturing engineers to develop mission-critical systems, operational infrastructure, and scalable production capabilities.
- Website
- varda.com
Likely interview questions
- Describe your experience with EtherCAT or similar industrial communication protocols—what types of devices have you integrated?
- Walk us through a test system you built end-to-end: what were the control requirements and how did you approach the architecture?