Senior Terrestrial Automation & Controls Engineer (Aerospace)

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

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 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 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 test infrastructure.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of industry 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, deterministic real-time control, TwinCAT 3, structured text, or custom control-framework experience.
• Python orchestration, time-series data acquisition, and visualization with Grafana or InfluxDB.
• Aerospace, spacecraft testing, GSE, environmental testing, propulsion test-stand, or high-pressure fluid-system experience.
• Experience with safety-related control systems and spacecraft qualification documentation.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced startup environment with shifting priorities and end-to-end ownership.
• Opportunity to influence control-system architecture and establish engineering standards.
• Work alongside propulsion, avionics, GNC, manufacturing, and other engineering functions.
• Eligibility for incentives including stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Inclusive workplace with equal-opportunity employment practices.