The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer builds bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies spaceflight hardware for orbit. They design, build, and own sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems: propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, spacecraft-level integration testing and more!
Locations (3)
El Segundo, California, United States
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Huntsville, Alabama, United States
Compensation
Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year.
Responsibilities
Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations including data acquisition systems (Pelican DAQ, Load cell DAQ, Accelerometer DAQ, prop test stands, fill carts), thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, Ln2), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, ducers, solenoids, flowmeters).
Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance.
Be the "Responsible Engineer" for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, prop fill carts, prop gas benches, prop water flow stands and torch test stands.
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.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
Builds bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies spaceflight hardware for orbit, designing, building, and maintaining ground support equipment and test systems.
Compensation
Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year.
Responsibilities
Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
Integrate with a wide range of external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, including evaluation of 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.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
Nice to have: Python orchestration
Nice to have: custom or in-house control frameworks
