Terrestrial Mechanical Design & Test Engineer II, Automation

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. The role requires U.S. person status and authorization to work in the United States because of access to export-controlled items.

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

What you will do

• Design, build, maintain, and commission ground support equipment and test systems for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
• Develop data acquisition systems, propulsion test stands, fill carts, thermal control systems, PLC cabinets, and gas and liquid systems.
• Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, instrumentation, and industrial control systems into cohesive test platforms.
• Own test infrastructure as the Responsible Engineer, including centrifuges, TVAC systems, propulsion stands, gas benches, water-flow stands, and torch test stands.
• Build cabinets, wire panels, and support systems from electrical design through commissioning and ongoing maintenance.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams while improving documentation, reliability, and production uptime.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• At least 3 years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
• Extensive experience with SolidWorks, NX CAD, or comparable tools.
• Experience with cabinet wiring, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, and electronic schematic design using Altium or comparable software.
• Hands-on experience with high-pressure gas or fluid systems, environmental testing, propulsion test stands, and complex multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
• Experience with EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-232/485, or similar protocols, plus a modern PLC ecosystem such as Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 and structured text.

Nice to have

• Aerospace experience, especially spacecraft testing or ground support equipment 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

• Fast-paced startup environment with shifting priorities and end-to-end ownership.
• Modern in-house PLC and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling.
• Strong focus on documented systems, accessible procedures, schematics, and maintainable production infrastructure.
• Eligibility for stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Inclusive employment environment with evaluation based on merit, qualifications, and performance.