Terrestrial Automation and Controls Engineer II

We need to output HTML fragment with sections: About the role? Actually the posting includes "About Varda" and "About This Role". The instruction: use

for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). Do NOT repeat the job title as a heading. The page already shows it. So we need sections: About the role (maybe from "About This Role" paragraph). Responsibilities, Requirements (maybe Basic Qualifications), Qualifications? Actually they said "Requirements, Qualifications, Skills". We have Basic Qualifications and Preferred Skills And Experience. Could combine Basic Qualifications as Requirements, Preferred as Skills. Also Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Schedule: they said "This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA." That's schedule? Could be location, not schedule. No schedule info besides on-site. Could we create Schedule section? The instruction: only include a section when posting has real, specific content for it. There's no schedule details like hours, shift, etc. So we should not create Schedule section. Pay: we have salary range. So include Pay section. Benefits: we have benefits details. Include Benefits section. Also maybe "About the role" section from the paragraph "About This Role". We'll include that. We need to remove boilerplate: ITAR Requirements, E-Verify Statement, Equal Opportunity Employer, etc. Also remove duplicated lines. We need to preserve all substantive information. So we need to include the description about Varda (About Varda) maybe not needed? The instruction: Use headings for sections like About the role, Responsibilities, etc. The "About Varda" is company overview, not a role section. Should we include it? It's substantive but not under a heading we have. Could we include it as a

before any heading? The instruction: Output ONLY the HTML fragment. It didn't forbid extra paragraphs outside sections. But they said use

for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). It didn't say we cannot have other content. However they said "Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones." Might be okay to include a brief intro paragraph about Varda before the About the role heading. But the "About Varda" is lengthy; maybe we should include it as a

under an "About the company" heading? Not in allowed list. Could we treat it as part of "About the role"? Probably not. The instruction: "use

for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule)." It doesn't forbid other headings, but they gave examples. Safer to stick to those headings only. So we can omit the company overview if not under those headings. But we must preserve ALL substantive information. If we omit the company overview, we lose substantive info. However maybe the company overview is considered boilerplate? It's not navigation/legal/EEO, it's substantive about the company. The instruction: "Preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail." So we need to keep it. But we don't have a heading for it. Could we just put it as a

before the first heading? That seems acceptable. The instruction didn't say we cannot have extra paragraphs. It only said use

for section headings (list). So we can have other content outside headings. We'll include a

with the company overview (About Varda). Then

About the role

with the paragraph about the role. Then responsibilities list, requirements list (Basic Qualifications), skills list (Preferred Skills And Experience), benefits list, pay paragraph. We need to format lists with

• . For responsibilities, we have bullet points starting with "Design, build, and maintain..." etc. We'll extract each sentence as list item. Responsibilities list: - Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations. - Integrate with a wide range of external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation. - Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs. - Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, including evaluation of PLC-based (TwinCAT 3) versus Linux-based approaches for high-frequency control applications. - 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. - Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably. Requirements (Basic Qualifications) list: - 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. Skills (Preferred Skills And Experience) list: - Strong intuition for when to use real-time PLC code versus higher-level Python orchestration, and a strong understanding of the tradeoff. - Experience working with custom or in-house control frameworks, rather than relying solely on vendor-provided stacks. - Advanced EtherCAT expertise - including DC sync, ENI configuration, master implementation, or driver-level work. - Production experience with TwinCAT 3, structured text, and the broader IEC 61131-3 language suite. - Experience designing deterministic, hard real-time control loops with sub-millisecond cycle times. - Familiarity with time-series data acquisition and visualization tools such as Grafana, InfluxDB, or similar platforms. - Aerospace experience, particularly in spacecraft testing or GSE development. - Environmental test experience, including TVAC, thermal cycling, and vibration testing. - Hands-on experience working with high-pressure gas or fluid systems. - Experience developing propulsion test stands or other complex, multi-subsystem test infrastructure. - Familiarity with spacecraft qualification standards and associated documentation requirements. - Experience developing safety-related control systems and evaluating proposed solutions for reducing safety-related risks. Benefits: we need to capture the benefits details. The benefits section includes many items. We'll create a
  • list. Benefits list (Regular Full-Time Positions): - Health & Wellness: 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 - Financial & Retirement: 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 - Workplace Experience & Perks: 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 could also include internship benefits but maybe not needed as role is regular full-time. We'll keep regular full-time. Pay: we have salary range: Engineer II: $119,543 - $152,749/ per year. Also note: "This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA." Could be location, not pay. We'll include pay paragraph. We also need to include maybe a short paragraph about location? Not required as schedule not present. Could add a

    for location but not under schedule heading. Might be okay but risk adding extra content not requested. The instruction: "Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones." Adding a location paragraph may be thin. But location is substantive. Could we incorporate location into Pay section? Not ideal. Maybe we can add a

    after Pay: "This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA." That's fine. Now we need to output only HTML fragment, no markdown fences. Let's craft:

    About Varda Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses. From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind. Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL. Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.

    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. They will have a meaningful impact on architecture decisions, and the chance to define standards that will outlast any single program.

    Responsibilities

    • Design, build, and maintain test systems and ground support equipment (GSE) for flight hardware qualification and manufacturing operations.
    • Integrate with a wide range of external hardware, including thermal vacuum chambers, ovens, chillers, pressure systems, data acquisition hardware, and precision instrumentation.
    • Develop and extend Varda's internal PLC framework and EtherCAT tooling to support evolving program needs.
    • Contribute to architecture decisions on real-time control implementation, including evaluation of PLC-based (TwinCAT 3) versus Linux-based approaches for high-frequency control applications.
    • 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.
    • Champion sustainable engineering practices that enable new engineers to ramp quickly on the tech stack and maintain production systems reliably.

    Requirements

    • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field