Manufacturing Test Engineering Intern

Department: Manufacturing (Operations & Engineering)

Location: Austin, TX

Employment Type: Intern

About Base

Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.

About the Role

As a Manufacturing Test Engineering Intern, you'll get hands-on experience with the test systems that check every Base battery before it ships. You'll work alongside experienced test engineers in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, supporting testers from first build through production. You'll learn by doing, and your work will directly affect how we deliver affordable energy at scale.

What You'll Do

• Help build, wire, and set up automated test equipment for battery and inverter systems.

• Support troubleshooting when a tester faults or a unit fails, and help track down the cause.

• Run tests on prototype and production units, and log the results.

• Pull data from test runs, then build simple charts and summaries that show where testers are slow or failing.

• Help document tester setup, calibration steps, and work instructions for technicians.

• Join conversations with production teams to hear what's working and what's not on the line.

• Work with engineers to try small improvements that boost uptime, cut test time, and raise first-pass yield (the share of units that pass test the first time).

What You'll Bring

• Current junior or senior in an undergraduate program, or a graduate student, in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

• Solid grasp of electrical fundamentals, such as voltage, current, power, and basic circuits.

• Passion for hands-on problem solving and getting equipment to work.

• Some coding experience, such as Python, C, or MATLAB, and comfort reading simple code.

• Comfort with basic lab tools like multimeters, power supplies, and oscilloscopes.

• Able to share results in a clear way, in a chart, a short summary, or a quick conversation.

• Curious, self-motivated, and eager to tackle hard problems with real-world impact.

• Nice to have: exposure to LabVIEW, TestStand, or similar test software; familiarity with sensors, data acquisition, or PLCs from a class, lab, or project; basic knowledge of CAN bus, inverters, or power electronics; experience with Linux or Windows command-line tools; a personal, club, or class project where you built or tested hardware.

About This Team

Makers of the machines that power tomorrow. The Manufacturing Engineering team owns the interface between a proof of concept and a scalable, profitable product. Our team focuses on how a product can be built, defining the process technology and equipment solutions along the way. We are the feedback loop with the product design team to ensure designs are manufacturable both at cost and scale. The Manufacturing Engineering team owns every aspect of bringing the physical mechanisms of manufacturing a product into the factory.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.

Our Values

• First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.

• Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.

• Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.

• Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.

• Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.

• Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in-person. It’s not a 9-to-5. We are all-in.

• Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.

Do the best work of your life at Base.