Senior Terrestrial Automation and Controls Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. The role requires U.S. work authorization and access eligibility as a U.S. person under ITAR requirements.

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

Company

hirify.global develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing, reentry capsules, heat shields, satellite buses, and related ground 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 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 Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation.
• Experience integrating industrial hardware through EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU, RS-232/485, or similar protocols.
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and structured text under IEC 61131-3.
• Ability to design electrical panels, wire cabinets, debug hardware, and write control software.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States and qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology.

Nice to have

• Advanced EtherCAT, TwinCAT 3, structured text, deterministic real-time control, or custom control-framework experience.
• Experience with Python orchestration, Grafana, InfluxDB, spacecraft testing, GSE, TVAC, thermal cycling, or vibration testing.
• Experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems, propulsion test stands, spacecraft 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.
• Parental leave, family-building benefits, wellness reimbursement, and sponsored One Medical memberships.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% immediately vested employer match and incentive equity.
• Relocation support may be available for new hires, with daily lunch, twice-weekly dinner, team events, and complimentary EV charging.