Hardware Repair Technician III

AeroVironment•San Diego, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

AeroVironment is seeking a skilled Hardware Repair Technician to lead repair, warranty, service, and hardware upgrade activities in San Diego. The role handles returned hardware through RMA, warranty, and defect-management processes, diagnosing, troubleshooting, repairing, and testing units to ensure they meet quality and performance standards. Work may also include hardware upgrades, refurbishment, parts procurement, and root-cause failure analysis under the direction of engineering staff. The technician supports engineering and repair-pipeline throughput, working closely with mechanical, electrical, and systems engineers. The role requires debugging advanced electronics and hardened computing systems, working through ambiguity and change, and maintaining curiosity about hardware, electronics assembly, and manufacturing. Work is primarily in a lab, workshop, or repair-bay environment and may include cleanroom or other controlled conditions. The position requires frequent use of test equipment, microscopes, handheld tools, and small-part handling. Occasional lifting of chassis or assemblies is required; the technician must be able to lift and maneuver unit assemblies up to 40 pounds and wheeled cases up to 75 pounds. Overtime or flexibility may be needed to meet repair deadlines. Strict adherence to ESD, safety, and quality protocols is required. The position requires access to information subject to ITAR and/or EAR export controls. Applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the applicable regulations or be eligible for an export license; some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements. The posting states ITAR U.S. Citizenship required.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or equivalent trade-school training in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Mechatronics, or an equivalent technical discipline, or strong equivalent hands-on experience.
At least 5–7 years of experience in hardware repair, technical debugging, or defect analysis in an electronics or systems environment.
Strong mechanical aptitude and proficiency with hand tools used for electronics unit assembly and repair.
Strong electronics troubleshooting skills, including proficiency using multimeters.
Experience with soldering and connector rework.
Familiarity with system-level and functional testing.
Ability to read schematics, block diagrams, and mechanical drawings and understand system integration.
Strong understanding of RF principles, including frequency, impedance, gain, noise, and modulation.
Ability to isolate mechanical, electrical, and firmware faults and correlate symptoms to root cause.
Excellent hands-on skills, attention to detail, and a methodical approach to debugging.
Strong documentation, communication, and general computer skills.
Ability to work closely with engineering staff, accept direction, and follow test procedures and change control.
Ability to manage multiple repair tasks concurrently and meet throughput goals.
Commitment to quality, safety, and process discipline, including ESD protocols and a clean work environment.
Ability to lift and maneuver unit assemblies up to 40 pounds and wheeled cases up to 75 pounds.
Qualify as a U.S. person under ITAR/EAR requirements or be eligible for an export license; some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements. The posting also states ITAR U.S. Citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Mechatronics, or an equivalent technical discipline, or strong equivalent hands-on experience.
Experience assembling and repairing ruggedized or hardened computer systems, including MIL-STD, vibration, EMC, or harsh-environment electronics.
Experience with failure-analysis tools such as microscopes and thermal imaging.
Experience with mechanical repair or alignment, including micromechanics or precision assemblies.
Experience debugging RF electronic systems.
Familiarity with version control, defect-tracking systems, and repair databases.
Prior exposure to manufacturing test, acceptance test, or field-return programs.
Certifications such as IPC soldering, IPC rework, or other electronics repair credentials.
Prior work in aerospace, medical, defense, or rugged-electronics industries.

Responsibilities

Receive, log, and triage incoming hardware returns, defective units, and upgrade requests.
Diagnose and troubleshoot hardware to isolate faulty mechanical, electrical, firmware, connectivity, or other subsystems and components.
Repair RF assemblies, including connectors, cables, wire harnesses, sensors, and mechanical subassemblies.
Perform firmware updates, calibration, alignment, burn-in, and validation testing after repairs.
Work with mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering staff to obtain schematics, test procedures, engineering change notices, and tolerances.
Implement directed corrective modifications and retrofits, including engineering change orders.
Refurbish, rework, or upgrade units according to specifications or customer requests.
Document repair steps, root causes, and lessons learned, and maintain repair logs and databases.
Contribute to failure analysis and continuous-improvement programs.
Ensure repairs comply with quality, safety, and regulatory requirements, including ESD controls, cleanroom requirements, certifications, and internal standards.
Maintain inventory of spare parts, consumables, and tooling for repair operations.
Recommend process optimizations, tooling improvements, and test-fixture enhancements.
Occasionally assist engineering with prototype debugging, mechanical modifications, or system-level integration tasks.
Troubleshoot transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, and RF modules.