Terrestrial Mechanical Test Engineer II, Automation (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. U.S. work authorization and U.S. person status are required for access to 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 ground equipment.

What you will do

• Design, build, maintain, and commission test systems and ground support equipment for spacecraft qualification and manufacturing operations.
• Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, instrumentation, thermal-control, data-acquisition, and gas/liquid systems into cohesive test platforms.
• Own test infrastructure such as centrifuges, TVAC systems, propulsion test stands, fill carts, gas benches, water-flow stands, and torch test stands.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and manage systems from electrical design through commissioning and ongoing support.
• Work with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver reliable equipment on aggressive timelines.
• Deploy and make minor edits to the internal PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling while documenting systems and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field and 3+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD, or comparable tools, plus electrical cabinet wiring, PLCs, harnesses, and connectors.
• Experience with Altium or comparable schematic-design software; familiarity with EPLAN is relevant as the migration is underway.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems, environmental testing, propulsion test stands, and complex multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
• Experience with industrial communication protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU, RS-232/485, or similar standards.
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, preferably Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and structured text, plus the ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment.

Nice to have

• Aerospace experience, especially spacecraft testing or ground support equipment development.
• Knowledge of spacecraft qualification standards and documentation requirements.
• Experience with safety-related control systems and safety-risk reduction.
• Programming experience in low-level firmware or Python.

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 and wellness benefits, and sponsored One Medical memberships.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% immediately vested employer match, incentive equity, and relocation support if needed.
• Daily lunch, twice-weekly dinner, team events, and complimentary EV charging.