Senior Hardware Test Automation Engineer

Taara • Sunnyvale, CA

4d • $160,000 - $210,000 • Onsite

About The Position

About the Team Born at X, Google's Moonshot Factory, Taara is on a mission to connect billions of people lacking abundant and affordable internet today by pioneering the way we use light to deliver faster, cheaper, more reliable connectivity. Lead the charge in bringing our groundbreaking wireless optical communication and photonics chip technologies to the world. Drive our growth story as we scale innovative solutions across the world. Join us to light the way for bridging the digital divide and illuminating the future. Role Overview Taara is seeking a Senior Hardware Test Automation Engineer to design and maintain the software infrastructure used to automate testing for our next-generation wireless optical communication products. This role focuses on developing the software infrastructure, automated validation sequences, and data collection pipelines that enable hardware testing at scale. We are looking for a highly motivated individual who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys working in a small, dynamic team environment, and has a passion for solving technical challenges at the intersection of software and hardware engineering.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in hardware automation or a related field.
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Extensive experience using Python for instrument control, test automation, and data processing.
• Experience with chip-level communication protocols including SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Familiarity with SCPI for remote control of laboratory equipment.
• Strong problem-solving skills focused on hardware-software integration.
• Ability to work in the Sunnyvale office at least 3 days per week.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a STEM field such as Electrical Engineering or Physics.
• Experience with optical systems or photonics-related hardware testing.
• Knowledge of SQL or other database structures for test data management.
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines for hardware validation.

Responsibilities

• Develop software routines and scripts in Python to execute automated test sequences and validation cases.
• Create and maintain test automation frameworks to allow for repeatable and scalable testing across different hardware revisions.
• Build software drivers and wrappers to control lab instrumentation using SCPI and other remote protocols.
• Interface directly with hardware devices via chip-level protocols like SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues where automation software interacts with physical circuitry and components.
• Integrate automated test data collection into central databases for engineering review and analysis.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior