Spacecraft ‑Time Controls and Test Systems Engineer

Position: Spacecraft Real‑Time Controls and Test Systems Engineer
About Varda

Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules.

From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.

Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from Space

X, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.

Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.

Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

What you will do (Job Responsibilities)

The Automation and Controls Software team is responsible for custom test infrastructure and bespoke engineering solutions for spaceflight hardware. We build sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems supporting spacecraft development and manufacturing operations, working at the intersection of software, electrical, and mechanical domains.

This is a hands-on engineering role on a small, growing team. You'll have significant ownership over architecture decisions and the opportunity to shape how test automation is done across the organization, from propulsion test stands to environmental qualification to spacecraft-level integration testing. Our stack includes a custom modern software-engineering-focused PLC framework and Ether

CAT tooling, so you should be the kind of engineer who's energized rather than intimidated by working inside a proprietary stack.

* Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.

* Integrate with a wide range of external hardware: thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and instrumentation.

* Develop and extend our internal PLC framework and Ether

CAT tooling.

* Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, including evaluation of PLC-based (TwinCAT
3) vs. 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, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure that meets their needs on aggressive timelines.

* Demonstrate sustainable engineering practices that help onboard new engineers to the tech stack and maintain production systems.

What you will bring (Basic Qualifications)

* Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, physics, engineering or equivalent technical experience in safety critical software.

* 5+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, or industrial automation.

* Strong Python skills, particularly for hardware control or test automation applications.

* Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over protocols like Ether

CAT, Modbus (TCP/TRU), serial (RS232/485), or similar.

* Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3) or willingness to develop deep expertise there.

* Comfort working across the stack: writing control software, designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware.

What would be a plus (Preferred Qualifications)

* Ether

CAT experience beyond consumer-level usage - DC sync, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work.

* Production experience with TwinCAT 3, structured text, and the broader IEC 61131-3 languages.

* Experience designing deterministic, hard real-time control loops (sub-millisecond cycle times).

* Understanding of when to use real-time PLC code vs. higher-level orchestration in Python.

* Bare-metal or embedded firmware experience.

* Experience with time-series data acquisition and visualization (Grafana, Influx

DB, or similar).

* Environmental test experience: TVAC, thermal cycling, vibration.

* Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.

* Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex test infrastructure.

* Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating proposed solutions for reducing safety-related risks.

How Varda compensates

* Salary range: $ - $ annually.

* This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA.

* Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills,…