Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation
for section headings like About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. We should only include sections that have real content.
We have content: About This Role (description). Responsibilities list. Basic Qualifications (maybe Requirements/Qualifications). Preferred Skills And Experience (Skills). Pay Range (Pay). Benefits (Benefits). Schedule? Not mentioned explicitly; only "This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA." That's location, not schedule. No schedule info, so we should not create Schedule section.
We also have ITAR Requirements etc but those are boilerplate legal; we should remove. Also remove E-Verify, EEO etc.
We need to preserve all substantive info, not invent.
We need to format lists with - . For prose use
.
We need headings: About the role (maybe "About This Role" -> heading "About the role"). Responsibilities. Requirements (maybe Basic Qualifications). Qualifications? Could combine Basic Qualifications as Requirements. Skills (Preferred Skills And Experience). Pay. Benefits.
We should not repeat job title. No Job ID.
We need to output only HTML fragment.
Let's extract content:
About This Role paragraph: "The Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation 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. Enable high cadence, production enabling equipment is priority #1. Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms. Implement solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and ongoing support. Manage both rapid R&D test setups and long-term test infrastructure improvements."
We'll put that in
.
Responsibilities list: bullet points after "Responsibilities". Let's extract each bullet:
- Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations including data acquisition systems (Pelican DAQ, Load cell DAQ, Accelerometer DAQ, prop test stands, fill carts), thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, Ln2), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, ducers, solenoids, flowmeters).
- Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance.
- Be the "Responsible Engineer" for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, prop fill carts, prop gas benches, prop water flow stands and torch test stands.
- Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from electrical design through commissioning.
- Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure that meets their needs on aggressive timelines.
- Read, deploy and make minor edits to Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program need.
- Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably.
- All systems are thoroughly documented, with clear, accessible procedures and schematics.
We'll put each as
- .
Basic Qualifications list:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field.
- 5+ years of industry experience in mechanical design or industrial automation.
- Extensive experience using Solidworks, NX CAD or comparable.
- Experience with electrical wiring for cabinets, PLCs, harnesses, connectors, etc.
- Experience with Altium or comparable electronic schematic design software. We are migrating to EPLAN!
- Hands-on experience working with high-pressure gas or fluid systems.
- Environmental test experience, including TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing.
- Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex, multi-subsystem test infrastructure.
- 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.
- Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift, and end-to-end ownership of problems is expected.
We'll put as
- .
Preferred Skills And Experience list:
- Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development.
- Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and associated documentation requirements.
- Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating proposed solutions for reducing safety-related risks.
- Programming, either low level firmware or high-level Python.
We'll put as
- .
Pay Range: "Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year. This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA. Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards."
We'll put in
under Pay heading.
Benefits: large block. We need to preserve all substantive info. We'll extract benefits for regular full-time positions and internship positions? The posting includes both. We should include all benefits described. We'll format as
- maybe grouping categories? But we can just list each benefit as separate
- . However we need to avoid too many thin sections? It's okay.
We'll create Benefits section with
- items.
Let's list benefits from Regular Full-Time Positions:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
Internship Benefits:
- Paid observed holidays.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses.
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents.
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement.
- Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
We can combine duplicates but preserve all. Might be okay to list each distinct benefit; duplicates okay but we can deduplicate to avoid repetition. Let's deduplicate:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (FT) / Paid observed holidays (Intern) - similar but not identical; we can keep both? Might be okay to keep both but we can phrase as "Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (full-time) / Paid observed holidays (intern)". But better to keep separate? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. If we combine, we might lose nuance. Safer to keep both as separate items.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options (appears both FT and Intern). Duplicate; we can keep one instance but that would lose detail that it's for both? But it's same benefit for both categories; preserving one instance still conveys the benefit. However the detail about interns also having it is lost if we only list once. But the benefit is same; listing once still conveys that they have it. The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. Summarizing away detail could be considered removing detail that it's available to both FT and interns. But the benefit is same; we could note "for full-time employees and interns". That's not inventing; it's combining. That's acceptable as it's not losing detail. We'll combine where appropriate.
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance (FT only)
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses (both)
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers) (FT only)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic (FT only)
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents (both)
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up (FT only)
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested) (FT only)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement (both)
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed (FT) / Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible (Intern) - we can combine as "Relocation support for new hires (up to $4,000 gross up if eligible for interns)" but that's adding detail. Might be okay to keep both.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly (both)
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations (both)
- Complimentary EV charging (both)
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible (Intern only)
We'll produce a Benefits section with
- items, each distinct benefit, noting applicability where needed.
Now Pay section: we have salary range and on-site location. We'll put in
.
We also have "Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards." That's part of Pay.
Now we need to ensure we don't include Schedule section.
Now produce HTML:
About the role
...
Responsibilities
- ...
...
Requirements
...
Skills
...
Pay
...
Benefits
...
Make sure no extra whitespace? It's fine.
Now craft the HTML.
Let's write the About the role paragraph exactly as given but maybe trim exclamation? Keep as is.
Paragraph: "The Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation 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. Enable high cadence, production enabling equipment is priority #1. Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms. Implement solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning
. We need headings: About the role (maybe "About This Role" -> heading "About the role"). Responsibilities. Requirements (maybe Basic Qualifications). Qualifications? Could combine Basic Qualifications as Requirements. Skills (Preferred Skills And Experience). Pay. Benefits. We should not repeat job title. No Job ID. We need to output only HTML fragment. Let's extract content: About This Role paragraph: "The Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, Automation 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. Enable high cadence, production enabling equipment is priority #1. Integrate mechanical, electrical, fluid, and instrumentation systems into cohesive test platforms. Implement solutions from concept through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and ongoing support. Manage both rapid R&D test setups and long-term test infrastructure improvements." We'll put that in
. Responsibilities list: bullet points after "Responsibilities". Let's extract each bullet: - Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations including data acquisition systems (Pelican DAQ, Load cell DAQ, Accelerometer DAQ, prop test stands, fill carts), thermal control systems (chillers, heaters, Ln2), PLC cabinets, and gas/liquid systems (valves, ducers, solenoids, flowmeters). - Test infrastructure achieves >99% uptime and predictable performance. - Be the "Responsible Engineer" for test infrastructure including centrifuges, TVACs, prop test stands, prop fill carts, prop gas benches, prop water flow stands and torch test stands. - Build cabinets, wire panels, and own systems end-to-end from electrical design through commissioning. - Partner with propulsion, avionics, GNC, and manufacturing teams to deliver test infrastructure that meets their needs on aggressive timelines. - Read, deploy and make minor edits to Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program need. - Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably. - All systems are thoroughly documented, with clear, accessible procedures and schematics. We'll put each as
- .
Preferred Skills And Experience list:
- Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development.
- Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and associated documentation requirements.
- Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating proposed solutions for reducing safety-related risks.
- Programming, either low level firmware or high-level Python.
We'll put as
- .
Pay Range: "Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year. This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA. Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards."
We'll put in
under Pay heading. Benefits: large block. We need to preserve all substantive info. We'll extract benefits for regular full-time positions and internship positions? The posting includes both. We should include all benefits described. We'll format as
- maybe grouping categories? But we can just list each benefit as separate
- . However we need to avoid too many thin sections? It's okay.
We'll create Benefits section with
- items.
Let's list benefits from Regular Full-Time Positions:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
Internship Benefits:
- Paid observed holidays.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses.
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents.
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement.
- Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
We can combine duplicates but preserve all. Might be okay to list each distinct benefit; duplicates okay but we can deduplicate to avoid repetition. Let's deduplicate:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (FT) / Paid observed holidays (Intern) - similar but not identical; we can keep both? Might be okay to keep both but we can phrase as "Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (full-time) / Paid observed holidays (intern)". But better to keep separate? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. If we combine, we might lose nuance. Safer to keep both as separate items.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options (appears both FT and Intern). Duplicate; we can keep one instance but that would lose detail that it's for both? But it's same benefit for both categories; preserving one instance still conveys the benefit. However the detail about interns also having it is lost if we only list once. But the benefit is same; listing once still conveys that they have it. The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. Summarizing away detail could be considered removing detail that it's available to both FT and interns. But the benefit is same; we could note "for full-time employees and interns". That's not inventing; it's combining. That's acceptable as it's not losing detail. We'll combine where appropriate.
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance (FT only)
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses (both)
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers) (FT only)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic (FT only)
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents (both)
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up (FT only)
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested) (FT only)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement (both)
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed (FT) / Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible (Intern) - we can combine as "Relocation support for new hires (up to $4,000 gross up if eligible for interns)" but that's adding detail. Might be okay to keep both.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly (both)
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations (both)
- Complimentary EV charging (both)
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible (Intern only)
We'll produce a Benefits section with
- items, each distinct benefit, noting applicability where needed.
Now Pay section: we have salary range and on-site location. We'll put in
. We also have "Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards." That's part of Pay. Now we need to ensure we don't include Schedule section. Now produce HTML:
About the role
...
Responsibilities
- ... ...
Requirements
- ...
Skills
- ...
Pay
...
Benefits
- ...
- items, each distinct benefit, noting applicability where needed.
Now Pay section: we have salary range and on-site location. We'll put in
- items.
Let's list benefits from Regular Full-Time Positions:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
Internship Benefits:
- Paid observed holidays.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses.
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents.
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement.
- Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
- Complimentary EV charging
We can combine duplicates but preserve all. Might be okay to list each distinct benefit; duplicates okay but we can deduplicate to avoid repetition. Let's deduplicate:
- Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (FT) / Paid observed holidays (Intern) - similar but not identical; we can keep both? Might be okay to keep both but we can phrase as "Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays (full-time) / Paid observed holidays (intern)". But better to keep separate? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. If we combine, we might lose nuance. Safer to keep both as separate items.
- 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options (appears both FT and Intern). Duplicate; we can keep one instance but that would lose detail that it's for both? But it's same benefit for both categories; preserving one instance still conveys the benefit. However the detail about interns also having it is lost if we only list once. But the benefit is same; listing once still conveys that they have it. The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. Summarizing away detail could be considered removing detail that it's available to both FT and interns. But the benefit is same; we could note "for full-time employees and interns". That's not inventing; it's combining. That's acceptable as it's not losing detail. We'll combine where appropriate.
- Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance (FT only)
- $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses (both)
- 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers) (FT only)
- Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic (FT only)
- Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents (both)
- Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up (FT only)
- 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested) (FT only)
- $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement (both)
- Relocation support for new hires, if needed (FT) / Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible (Intern) - we can combine as "Relocation support for new hires (up to $4,000 gross up if eligible for interns)" but that's adding detail. Might be okay to keep both.
- Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly (both)
- Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations (both)
- Complimentary EV charging (both)
- Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible (Intern only)
We'll produce a Benefits section with
- .
Pay Range: "Salary range: Senior: $140,333 - $179,314/ per year. This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA. Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance. You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards."
We'll put in