Engineer, Test & Validation

Hyliion•Cincinnati, OH

14h•Onsite

About The Position

The Engineer, Test & Validation converts engineering and customer objectives into measured, validated results for Hyliion’s KARNO development team. The role spans the full test cycle: defining tests, assembling and instrumenting hardware, executing test runs, reducing data, and presenting conclusions in technical reviews. Work covers KARNO Power Modules and Cores, linear generator and motor dynamometers, and component and subsystem rigs. Test results inform program decisions, and the position has significant influence over the test methods, rigs, and acceptance criteria used to validate KARNO, for which no established test methodology exists. The position is salaried and exempt and typically works in a production, assembly, or engineering lab environment. The role requires the ability to lift or move up to 50 pounds and to travel as needed by plane, automobile, or other means. Hyliion equips team members with AI tools and expects them to use AI to work faster, solve difficult problems, and advance KARNO technology.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent hands-on test experience will be considered.
At least 1 year of test and validation experience on engines, gensets, powertrains, turbomachinery, compressors, or comparable energy-conversion hardware.
Demonstrated ownership of test cells, dynamometers, or development rigs across planning, setup, execution, and reporting.
Strong hands-on mechanical capability, including precision assembly, torque and fastener practices, fits and tolerances, sealing and leak checking, tube and hose fabrication, and use of hand and shop tools.
Broad instrumentation experience, including thermocouples and RTDs, pressure transducers, mass flow meters, load cells, strain gauges, accelerometers, LVDTs and encoders, and current and voltage measurement.
Data acquisition and test automation experience with LabVIEW, DEWESoft, HBM, Vector, CyFlex, or equivalent, including working knowledge of sampling rate, aliasing, filtering, and measurement uncertainty.
Electrical competence relevant to generating sets, including load banks, power analyzers, grid-following and islanded operation, DC bus architectures, and high-voltage safety practices per NFPA 70E.
Working knowledge of applicable standards and practices for electrical systems, generation, pressure systems, lockout/tagout, gas detection, and handling compressed and combustible gases.
Ability to own a test campaign from planning through execution, data reduction, and reporting while working directly with hardware in the test cell.
Disciplined approach to safety, including identifying hazards and engineering them out while keeping testing on schedule.
Rigor in data quality, including distinguishing genuine signals from instrumentation problems and resolving issues before results are reported.
Ability to work independently to identify, build, and execute the next test.
Ability to collaborate across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing disciplines.
Ability to treat failed test results as data and apply them to subsequent design and test iterations.
Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Ability to travel as needed by plane, automobile, or other means.
Candidates requiring sponsorship are not being accepted at this time.

Nice To Haves

Automotive, aerospace, off-highway, or power-generation background.
Military or shipboard power experience.
Emissions bench operation.
Acoustics and NVH experience.
PLC and HMI configuration.
Machining or welding proficiency.
Hydrogen or ammonia handling experience.
Formal DVP&R or 8D/DMAIC experience.
3D CAD experience, with NX preferred.
2D print generation and GD&T per ASME Y14.5 for fixtures and test hardware.
Sound design-for-manufacture judgment across machining, welding, and additive processes.

Responsibilities

Operate KARNO Power Modules and Cores through startup, steady-state, step-load, load-acceptance and load-rejection, endurance, thermal cycling, and fuel-switching sequences, assessing results against acceptance criteria such as ISO 8528 performance classes and program targets.
Operate and maintain linear generator and motor dynamometers, resistive and reactive load banks, and associated power measurement equipment; characterize efficiency, force, thermal limits, and controls behavior.
Commission and operate component rigs for regenerators, heat exchangers, burners, seals, bearings, and pressure vessels, including flow, pressure drop, effectiveness, leak-rate, durability, and life testing.
Assemble test articles and rigs, install and route instrumentation, build harnesses, complete gas and coolant plumbing, calibrate sensors, check channels, and commission rigs.
Design, procure, and fabricate fixtures, adapters, brackets, ducting, and tooling; create CAD models, drawings, and as-built documentation when off-the-shelf solutions are unsuitable.
Translate engineering objectives into test plans, DVP&R entries, test matrices, instrumentation lists, run sheets, and acceptance criteria, including hazard analyses required to release tests.
Configure data acquisition and cell automation systems; select sampling rates and filtering; manage calibration and measurement uncertainty; and maintain data integrity throughout the acquisition chain.
Lead hardware teardown and root-cause investigations of failures and test escapes, drive corrective actions with design owners, and apply findings to subsequent builds.
Manage cell scheduling and utilization, preventive maintenance, calibration intervals, spares, consumables, and test-asset readiness.
Enforce safety practices for high-pressure helium, combustible fuels, elevated temperatures, and 800 VDC systems.
Publish timely test reports documenting calibrated channels, quantified measurement uncertainty, and results suitable for technical review.
Execute test plans on schedule, meet acceptance criteria or clearly characterize failures, and maintain test-cell uptime and utilization in line with program demand.
Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned, needed, or required for the business.