Engineering Technician

Heron Power•Scotts Valley, CA

About The Position

Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.

Requirements

Proven track record of hands-on technical assembly, fabrication, troubleshooting and diagnostic experience across electrical, mechanical or electromechanical systems
Experience in teardown, diagnostic and troubleshooting of complex manufactured assemblies
Familiarity and experience using hand and power tools (drills, saws, grinders), soldering/rework stations, and common lab equipment
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams and work instructions to translate designs into physical builds
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to navigate ambiguity and take complete ownership of change management through various product iterations and experiments
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs., with frequent standing, walking and bending

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated strong electrical aptitude and experience with electronic assemblies and PCBAs
Experience with power electronics measurement equipment — oscilloscopes, multimeters, power analyzers, hipot testers
Experience building wire harnesses, cable assemblies, or wiring test setups for motor controls and instrumentation
3D Printing, CNC, Laser Cutting, Milling/Drilling, CATIA, SolidWorks experience a plus
Experience in PCB rework, sheet metal fabrication, or mechanical prototyping
IPC soldering certification (e.g., IPC-A-610, J-STD) a plus
Prior experience in an R&D, NPI or similar rapid-iteration environment preferred

Responsibilities

Build, assemble and modify prototype units and sub-assemblies from engineering drawings, schematics and verbal instructions — spanning PCBA, mechanical, and electromechanical work
Fabricate and prepare test fixtures, wire harnesses and cable assemblies using hand tools, crimp tools, and soldering equipment
Set up, configure and operate lab test equipment and instrumentation for engineering validation, environmental testing and performance characterization
Perform mechanical fabrication tasks including drilling, cutting, grinding, bending and light sheet metal modification to support prototype and fixture builds
Tear down, diagnose and troubleshoot complex manufactured assemblies to identify failure modes and root causes
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (including engineering, reliability, test and operations) to develop processes for prototype builds, test, failure mode identification and troubleshooting playbooks through various experimental setups and systems
Document learnings and failure modes, analyze data and communicate findings to cross-functional teams to drive product changes into future builds and execute incremental improvements
Maintain lab equipment, tooling, and test infrastructure in a state of good repair; support calibration and preventive maintenance schedules