Senior Automation and Controls Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. Employment requires authorization to work in the U.S. and eligibility as a U.S. person under applicable export-control requirements.

Salary: $140,333–$179,314 per year, plus potential stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Company

Develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing, reentry capsules, heat shields, satellite buses, and related production and test systems.

What you will do

• Design, build, maintain, and commission test systems and ground support equipment for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing.
• Integrate thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
• Develop the internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling using modern control architectures.
• Evaluate PLC-based TwinCAT 3 and Linux-based approaches for high-frequency real-time control.
• Design electrical panels, wire cabinets, debug hardware, and own systems from electrical design through commissioning.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver infrastructure on aggressive timelines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Hands-on experience with EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU, RS-232/485, or similar industrial communication protocols.
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, preferably Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and IEC 61131-3 structured text.
• Ability to write control software, design electrical panels, wire cabinets, and debug hardware across the full stack.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. and qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology.

Nice to have

• Advanced EtherCAT expertise, including DC synchronization, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work.
• Experience with deterministic sub-millisecond control loops, Python orchestration, and custom control frameworks.
• Experience with Grafana, InfluxDB, environmental testing, high-pressure gas or fluid systems, or propulsion test stands.
• Aerospace experience involving spacecraft testing, GSE development, qualification standards, or safety-related control systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with flexible PTO and 12 paid holidays.
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
• 12 weeks of parental leave and family-building, parenting, pregnancy, and menopause benefits.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match, incentive equity, and relocation support for new hires if needed.
• Daily lunch, twice-weekly dinner, wellness reimbursement, company events, and complimentary EV charging.