Senior Ground Systems Automation & Controls Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. The role requires U.S. person status and authorization to work in the 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, 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.
• Integrate thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
• Develop and extend internal PLC frameworks 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 own systems from electrical design through commissioning.
• Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams while establishing sustainable engineering practices for reliable production systems.

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.
• Hands-on experience integrating industrial hardware using EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU, RS-232/485 serial, or similar protocols.
• Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem, ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text under IEC 61131-3, or demonstrated eagerness to develop deep expertise in it.
• Ability to work across the full stack, including electrical panel design, cabinet wiring, hardware debugging, and control software development.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment with shifting priorities and expected end-to-end ownership.
• Must be a U.S. person permitted to access export-controlled technology without an export license and authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience choosing between real-time PLC code and higher-level Python orchestration.
• Experience with custom or in-house control frameworks.
• Advanced EtherCAT expertise, including DC synchronization, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work.
• Production experience with TwinCAT 3, structured text, and the IEC 61131-3 language suite.
• Experience designing deterministic hard real-time control loops with sub-millisecond cycle times.
• Experience with time-series data acquisition and visualization tools such as Grafana or InfluxDB.
• Aerospace experience, especially spacecraft testing or GSE development; environmental testing involving TVAC, thermal cycling, or vibration; and high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
• Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
• Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and documentation requirements.
• Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating risk-reduction solutions.

Culture & Benefits

• On-site work at a facility where spacecraft, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested.
• Opportunity to influence control-system architecture and define standards for future programs.
• Potential eligibility for stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
• Inclusive, equal-opportunity workplace with evaluation based on merit, qualifications, and performance.

Hiring process

• Employment eligibility and U.S. person status are verified as part of the hiring process.