Automation and Controls Engineer II (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. Candidates must be U.S. persons authorized to access export-controlled technology.

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 systems, reentry capsules, heat shields, satellite buses, and related production and test facilities.

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 hirify.global's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling.
• Evaluate PLC-based TwinCAT 3 and Linux-based approaches for real-time and high-frequency control.
• Design electrical panels, wire cabinets, debug hardware, and develop control software end to end.
• Collaborate with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams on test infrastructure delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• At least 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, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and IEC 61131-3 structured text.
• Experience designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware, and writing control software.
• U.S. person status is required for access to export-controlled technology; U.S. work authorization is required.

Nice to have

• Advanced EtherCAT, TwinCAT 3, structured text, deterministic hard real-time control, or custom control framework experience.
• Experience with Python orchestration, Grafana, InfluxDB, or other time-series data 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, pregnancy, parenting, and menopause benefits.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match, incentive equity, and relocation support if needed.
• Daily lunch, twice-weekly dinner, wellness reimbursement, company events, and complimentary EV charging.