Senior Terrestrial Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. and qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology.

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

What you will do

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

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field and 5+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD, or comparable tools.
• Experience wiring cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, and connectors, plus electronic schematic design using Altium or comparable software; familiarity with EPLAN is relevant.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems, environmental testing, TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
• Experience developing complex multi-subsystem test infrastructure, including propulsion test stands, and integrating industrial hardware through EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485, or similar protocols.
• Experience with a modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and structured text, along with the ability to take end-to-end ownership in a fast-paced startup environment.

Nice to have

• Aerospace experience, particularly spacecraft testing or GSE development.
• Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and documentation requirements.
• Experience developing safety-related control systems and reducing safety-related risks.
• Programming experience in low-level firmware or Python.

Culture & Benefits

• Regular 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 wellbeing programs, and a monthly wellness reimbursement.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% immediately vested employer match.
• Relocation support may be available for new hires, with stocked kitchens, provided meals, team events, and complimentary EV charging.