Autonomous Vehicle Test & Validation Engineer

Tuscon•Tucson, AZ

20h•Onsite

About The Position

RFA Engineering is seeking a growth-oriented Autonomous Vehicle Test & Validation Engineer to support the integration and validation of autonomous heavy-equipment systems. The position is onsite at a client’s testing facility in Tucson, Arizona, working with mining equipment. It involves hands-on machine testing and significant time on equipment, potentially in desert conditions. The engineer will investigate mechanical, electrical, and software issues, analyze test data, document system performance, and communicate findings to developers and engineering stakeholders. The role works with experienced engineering staff and state-of-the-art engineering tools and processes. It offers opportunities for professional growth, potential direct hire by clients, and further opportunities within RFA Engineering. RFA Engineering provides product development and engineering services, primarily for off-highway equipment, including agricultural, construction, mining, recreational, industrial, and special machines. Its work includes concept development, product design, documentation, problem-solving, simulation, optimization, and testing of components, systems, and complete machines.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline; relevant experience testing or developing control systems, vehicles, engines, or autonomous technologies may be considered in place of a degree.
Two or more years of relevant engineering, testing, validation, or product-development experience; internship experience may count toward this requirement.
Experience testing or validating vehicles, mobile equipment, control systems, or other complex technologies.
Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing test plans, procedures, and technical reports.
Experience working with large mobile equipment, off-highway machinery, or mining equipment.
Familiarity with autonomous vehicle or machine systems.
Understanding of autonomous perception, planning, or positioning technologies.
Experience troubleshooting integrated mechanical, electrical, and software systems.
Experience reading electrical schematics.
Familiarity with Ubuntu or other Linux operating systems.
Experience analyzing machine or vehicle test data.
Previous experience in vehicle testing, systems integration, product validation, or controls validation.

Responsibilities

Create and update test and development plans for autonomous haul-truck systems.
Execute on-machine testing of autonomous mining equipment.
Support the integration and validation of autonomous vehicle hardware and software.
Analyze test data to evaluate system functionality and performance.
Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and software issues involving complex machine systems.
Reproduce, investigate, and document issues identified during testing.
Write detailed test reports and provide recommendations based on test results.
Communicate test findings and technical issues to software developers and other engineering stakeholders.
Review machine behavior and system performance against established test requirements.
Work directly with onsite equipment operators to coordinate testing activities.
Support validation activities involving autonomous-system technologies such as perception, planning, and positioning.
Read and interpret electrical schematics when investigating machine issues.
Maintain accurate test documentation and communicate project status to the engineering team.