Senior Terrestrial Automation and Controls Engineer
Varda Space Industries · El Segundo, California, United States
Posted 13 days ago · $140,333 - $179,314
or apply directly on Varda Space Industries's site. We never take the application ourselves.
Is this posting real?
- This role has been open
- 13 days Varda Space Industries's roles stay open a median of 45 days
- Reposted
- No
- Salary listed
- Yes 81% of Varda Space Industries's roles list one
- Ghost-job risk at Varda Space Industries
- high 48 stale, 0 reposted of 86 open
- Hiring momentum
- 215 roles opened in the last 90 days ↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
- Last confirmed on the employer's board
- 2026-09-17
Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Varda Space Industries's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Varda Space Industries.
About this role
As a Senior Automation and Controls Engineer at Varda, you will design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment for flight hardware qualification. Your role involves integrating various external hardware, developing Varda's internal PLC framework, and contributing to architecture decisions for real-time control implementation. You will collaborate with multiple teams to deliver test infrastructure while promoting sustainable engineering practices.
- benefits
- 5/5
- freshness
- 4/5
- career value
- 4/5
- role clarity
- 4/5
- pay transparency
- 5/5
Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Varda Space Industries as an employer.
What you need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field
- 5+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation
- Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485 serial, or similar communication standards
- Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3)
- Comfort working across the full stack: writing control software, designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, and debugging hardware
- Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift, and end-to-end ownership of problems is expected
Nice to have
- Strong intuition for when to use real-time PLC code versus higher-level Python orchestration
- Experience working with custom or in-house control frameworks
- Advanced EtherCAT expertise including DC sync, 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
What you get
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
Worth weighing
- No remote work option mentioned; this role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
- Specific experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 is preferred but not mandatory; candidates should be eager to develop expertise
- The role requires hands-on work across various systems, which may not suit all candidates
- The company is relatively new, founded in January 2021, which may imply a dynamic and evolving work environment
Summarised from Varda Space Industries's posting. Read the full original.
Listed by Varda Space Industries on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-09-17. PitchMeAI is not the employer.
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