# Automation and Controls Engineer II at Varda

- Company: Varda
- What the company does: Expanding the economic bounds of humankind with the world's first orbital manufacturing & reentry platform. Backed by General Catalyst, Khosla and Founders Fund.
- Company website: https://varda.com/
- Type: Startups
- Level: Mid level
- Location: El Segundo, California, United States
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $120K to $153K base salary per year (USD)
- Posted: 2026-09-21
- Apply by: 2026-11-05
- Apply: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vardaspace/jobs/8001042003
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/varda-automation-and-controls-engineer-ii/

## About the role

The Automation and Controls Engineer II builds bespoke test infrastructure that qualifies spaceflight hardware for orbit. They design, build, and own sophisticated ground support equipment (GSE) and test systems: propulsion test stands, environmental qualification chambers, spacecraft-level integration testing and more! Our stack is modern, including a custom PLC framework and Beckhoff EtherCAT tooling built in-house.

## What they're looking for

- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field
- 2+ years of industry experience in test automation, controls, and/or industrial automation
- Hands-on experience integrating with industrial hardware over protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus (TCP/RTU), RS-232/485 serial, or similar communication standards
- Experience with at least one modern PLC ecosystem - ideally Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 with structured text (IEC 61131-3), or a demonstrated eagerness to develop deep expertise there
- Comfort working across the full stack: designing electrical panels, wiring cabinets, debugging hardware, and writing control software
- Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift, and end-to-end ownership of problems is expected

Tags: Terrestrial Hardware