Varda Space Industries
Terrestrial Ground Support Equipment Engineer - Automation & Python
About this role
Varda seeks a Ground Support Equipment Engineer to design and build sophisticated test infrastructure for spaceflight hardware qualification. You will own control systems end-to-end, from electrical design through commissioning, leveraging Beckhoff TwinCAT 3, Python, and custom PLC frameworks to integrate with thermal chambers, propulsion stands, and precision instrumentation.
What you'll do
- Design, build, and maintain test systems and GSE for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations
- Integrate external hardware including thermal vacuum chambers, environmental systems, and precision instrumentation over industrial protocols
- Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling using TwinCAT 3 structured text
- Evaluate and implement real-time control architectures, balancing PLC-based and Linux-based approaches for high-frequency applications
- Design electrical panels, wire cabinets, and own systems from specification through commissioning and troubleshooting
- Partner with propulsion, avionics, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure on aggressive timelines
What they're looking for
- Test automation and industrial automation systems
- PLC programming (Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 / IEC 61131-3 structured text preferred)
- Python for orchestration and control scripting
- Industrial communication protocols (EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU, RS-232/485)
- Electrical panel design and cabinet wiring
- Real-time control systems and deterministic timing
- Hardware integration and instrumentation
- Full-stack ownership from software to hardware commissioning
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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
- Walk us through a complex test system you designed end-to-end—what hardware did you integrate, and how did you handle real-time synchronization challenges?
- Describe your experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT. Have you worked with advanced features like DC synchronization or ENI configuration?