Hardware Test Engineer

Matternet•Mountain View, CA

7d•$128,000 - $164,000

About The Position

Matternet is building autonomous drone delivery networks that move critical goods faster, cleaner, and at lower cost for partners in healthcare, logistics, food, and retail. The Hardware Test Engineer will develop the electrical and mechanical test capabilities needed to verify hardware, including board bring-up, mechanism life testing, environmental qualification, and end-of-line testers for the M3 aircraft, batteries, docks, and portals. The role covers verification and validation planning, designing and building fixtures and hardware-in-the-loop rigs, conducting mechanical and environmental tests, instrumenting hardware, and developing automated test software. It also supports failure analysis, production tester transfers to contract manufacturers, and improvements to production yield and cycle time.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
At least 4 years of experience in hardware test, validation, or qualification across electrical and mechanical systems.
Strong Python skills for test automation, instrument control, and data analysis.
Proficiency with electrical lab equipment, including oscilloscopes, DMMs, power supplies, and electronic loads, and with DAQ systems.
Hands-on experience with mechanical test methods and sensors such as strain gauges, load cells, accelerometers, and thermocouples.
Experience designing mechanical test fixtures in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and building them by hand.
Working knowledge of CAN, UART/RS-485, I2C, SPI, and Ethernet, and comfort reading schematics and drawings.
Ability to lift and move test equipment, fixtures, batteries, and assemblies as required.

Nice To Haves

UAV, aerospace, automotive, or other safety-critical regulated experience.
Environmental qualification to DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or IEC 60529 (IP), including vibration shaker and thermal chamber operation.
HALT/HASS or accelerated life testing, and HIL simulation with ArduPilot or PX4 hardware.
Battery and BMS testing, or propulsion (motor and propeller) test stand experience.

Responsibilities

Develop verification and validation test plans for electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical hardware, traced to requirements.
Design and build test fixtures, stands, and hardware-in-the-loop rigs, including mechanical fixturing, data acquisition, instrumentation, and safety interlocks.
Run mechanical tests, including static load, vibration, shock and drop, and fatigue and life cycling, on structures and mechanisms such as the payload hook, tether drop, and dock doors.
Run environmental tests, including thermal, humidity, and rain and dust ingress, in-house and with outside test labs.
Instrument hardware with strain gauges, load cells, accelerometers, and thermocouples, and characterize propulsion on thrust stands.
Write automated test software for design verification testing, qualification, and end-of-line production testing.
Support board bring-up and lead failure analysis on test failures, flight-test issues, and field returns.
Transfer production testers to contract manufacturers and improve yield and cycle time.