Hardware Controls Engineer II - Automation (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States

Salary: $119,543–$152,749 per year, plus potential stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Company

hirify.global develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing payloads, reentry capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses.

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 Varda’s internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling.
• 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 reliable test infrastructure.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 2+ years of industry 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 structured text under IEC 61131-3.
• Ability to write control software, design electrical panels, wire cabinets, and debug hardware.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. person because the role involves access to export-controlled technology.

Nice to have

• Advanced EtherCAT, TwinCAT 3, deterministic hard real-time control, or custom control framework experience.
• Experience with Python orchestration, Grafana, InfluxDB, or similar time-series tools.
• Aerospace, spacecraft testing, GSE, environmental testing, propulsion test stand, or high-pressure gas and fluid systems experience.
• Experience with safety-related control systems and spacecraft qualification documentation.

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, immediately vested, plus incentive equity.
• Relocation support may be available for new hires.
• Daily lunch, dinner twice weekly, wellness reimbursement, EV charging, and company events.