Hardware Test & Reliability Engineer

Team: Hardware / Firmware

Location: San Francisco Bay area

Commitment: Full time

Workplace Type: hybrid

Responsibilities:

• Product Validation & NPI Support
• Own the Master Test Plan for new hardware introductions. You will execute Design Verification Testing (DVT) to ensure new designs meet all electrical and functional specifications. This includes supporting board bring-up, validating power rails and communication buses, and collaborating with firmware teams to debug early prototypes.
• Reliability & Environmental Qualification Oversight 
• Partner with our external manufacturing partners (ODMs) to manage comprehensive environmental qualification and ongoing reliability testing campaigns.  Help define the test specifications (including HALT, thermal cycling, and Ingress Protection), negotiate test coverage and schedules, and scrutinize test data to ensure our hardware meets strict reliability standards.
• Root Cause Analysis & Forensics
• Lead the investigation of hardware failures from both the production line and the field. You will perform hands-on tear downs and forensic analysis to identify the root cause of failures—whether they are component defects, manufacturing issues, or design gaps—and drive corrective actions.
• Test Automation & Fixture Development
• Design and build electromechanical test fixtures to support lab validation and reliability testing. You will utilize Python to automate instrumentation (power supplies, data loggers) and streamline data collection, reducing the manual burden of repetitive testing.
• Data-Driven Quality Improvement
• Manage the closed-loop quality process (FRACAS). You will track failure trends, analyze fleet telemetry data to catch emerging issues, and present clear, data-backed recommendations to the engineering team to improve future designs.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience: 2–4 years of experience in hardware validation, test engineering, or reliability (projects involving embedded systems or outdoor electronics are a plus).
• Lab Competency: Strong hands-on skills with standard lab equipment (oscilloscopes, DMMs, logic analyzers, soldering stations) and a comfort level with modifying hardware for test access.
• Automation Skills: Proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis. You should be comfortable writing scripts to interface with hardware or parse large datasets.
• Engineering Fundamentals: A solid understanding of electronics (analog/digital) and mechanical basics, with the ability to read schematics and understand firmware logic.
• Education: BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Travel: Willingness to travel domestically (approx. 15-20%) to support field trials or environmental testing.
• Location: Must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work in our San Francisco office 2–3 days per week in a hybrid schedule.

The "AI-Augmented" Advantage:

• Modern Workflow: We prioritize candidates who actively use AI/LLM tools to enhance their productivity. We are looking for engineers who use these tools to write test scripts faster, auto-summarize complex logs, or generate SQL queries for data mining.
• Adaptive Thinking: Ability to use data and modern tools to quickly learn new technical domains—whether it’s understanding a new sensor protocol or troubleshooting a battery chemistry issue.

What Success Looks Like:

• 30 Days: You have mastered the lab environment, are independently running tests on current prototypes, and are using AI tools to streamline the weekly failure analysis reporting.
• 90 Days: You have successfully executed the verification plan for the upcoming engineering build, identified key design bugs, and established a reliable automated test setup for overnight stress testing.
• 6 Months: You have established a tight feedback loop between field data and engineering design, directly influencing the quality of the next hardware revision through your findings.