Quality Assurance Technician 1

Barracuda Networks Inc. • San Jose, CA

6d • $19 - $26 • Onsite

About The Position

Barracuda is seeking an organized, curious, and detail-oriented Quality Assurance Technician to join its Hardware Applied System’s Engineering team. This junior-level, entry-level role supports hardware lifecycle activities across product development, manufacturing readiness, regulatory coordination, sustaining engineering, and end-of-life planning. It is intended for someone early in their career or pursuing technical education; prior professional experience is not required. The position is full-time, with schedule flexibility potentially available to accommodate academic commitments while meeting the needs of the role.

The technician will help set up and maintain the hardware lab, configure and test appliances, support hardware quality testing, and document builds, compliance records, product specifications, engineering changes, and lifecycle milestones. The role also involves coordinating with cross-functional teams, tracking issues and field feedback, assisting with initial diagnosis and root cause analysis, and learning Barracuda hardware products, development processes, regulatory requirements, and lifecycle management practices.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing coursework, a certificate, an associate degree, or other technical training in engineering, computer science, information systems, networking, manufacturing, supply chain, or a related technical field; equivalent practical experience is also valued.
• 0–2 years of experience in hardware engineering, operations, manufacturing, technical support, product lifecycle management, or a related area.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to organize information across multiple projects, tools, and stakeholders.
• Comfort working with spreadsheets, issue tracking systems, documentation tools, and collaboration platforms.
• Basic understanding of computer hardware, networking, manufacturing processes, or product development concepts.
• Quality-focused mindset and willingness to follow engineering best practices, execute defined test steps, record results accurately, and help identify gaps or inconsistencies in hardware or software behavior.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to summarize status, risks, and next steps clearly.
• Curiosity, ownership, and willingness to learn in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Ability to work with ambiguity, ask thoughtful questions, and follow through on assigned tasks.

Nice To Haves

• Internship, co-op, academic project, or entry-level experience involving hardware systems, networking devices, embedded products, manufacturing, or technical operations.
• Exposure to Jira, Confluence, Agile methods, PLM tools, ERP systems, or document control processes.
• Exposure to basic Linux commands, software builds, system logs, or simple diagnostics; willingness to learn is more important than prior experience.
• Interest in cybersecurity, enterprise appliances, regulatory compliance, or global manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day hardware lifecycle activities, including tracking product changes, component updates, manufacturing issues, and sustaining engineering tasks.
• Assist with hardware lab setup, including racking and cabling appliances and engineering samples and installing CPUs, RAM, SSD/NVMe drives, NICs, RAID adapters, and other components.
• Sustain and configure management interfaces, including networking/VLANs and remote access.
• Image or re-image appliances and load required firmware/software using known-good test configurations and lab inventory.
• Create validation test plans and run smoke tests after hardware changes.
• Assist with boot/reboot and power-cycle testing, firmware upgrade/downgrade validation, NIC/port detection, connectivity tests, and RAID/storage/NVMe validation.
• Support basic CPU, memory, and storage checks, including appliance-image installation and verification.
• Support ASE quality testing for initiatives.
• Assist with documentation for hardware builds, compliance records, product specifications, engineering change requests, and lifecycle milestones.
• Work with engineering, product management, logistics, procurement, manufacturing partners, and support teams to gather status updates and resolve open items.
• Help monitor hardware issues related to RMAs, replacements, component failures, and field feedback, escalating patterns or risks to senior team members.
• Assist with initial issue diagnosis and root cause analysis by collecting test results, reviewing logs, documenting symptoms, reproducing issues when possible, and summarizing findings for senior engineers.
• Maintain organized records for hardware programs, certifications, vendor updates, and project action items.
• Learn Barracuda hardware products, development processes, regulatory requirements, and lifecycle management practices.

Benefits

• Equity in the form of non-qualifying options
• High-quality health benefits
• Retirement plan with employer match
• Career-growth opportunities
• Flexible Time Off and Paid Time Off benefits
• Volunteer opportunities
• Internal mobility, cross-training, and opportunities to attain a next career step

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed