Senior Hardware Test Engineer - Components

Apptronik • Austin, TX

7d

About The Position

Apptronik is seeking a Senior Hardware Test Engineer to own design validation, reliability, and production testing for electronic components used in its robots, including PCBAs, wiring harnesses, sensors, and compute modules. The role involves designing and running test campaigns, including HALT/HASS; defining test methods and fixture requirements for ICT, flying probe, and functional testing; working with fixture designers; and investigating failures down to the board, connector, or component level.

The engineer will collaborate with design, firmware, and manufacturing teams and transfer validated test processes to the Manufacturing Test team as programs scale into production. The position also involves characterizing sensors, stressing compute platforms, building fixtures and test automation, and developing documented test methods with clear pass/fail criteria.

This is a direct-hire position. Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities and prohibits discrimination and harassment on protected grounds.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience validating electronic hardware such as PCBAs, wiring harnesses, sensors, or compute modules using bench equipment such as oscilloscopes, power supplies, and DAQ systems.
• Experience with production test methods such as ICT, flying probe, and functional test, including fixture design (for example, bed-of-nails), pass/fail criteria, and handoff documentation.
• Experience with HALT/HASS, including defining stress profiles and interpreting failure modes.
• Knowledge of harness field-failure drivers, including contact resistance, connector retention, and flex fatigue.
• Strong debugging skills to root-cause failures at the board, connector, or component level using schematics, harness drawings, and datasheets.
• Understanding of sensor physics, such as IMU, encoder, force/torque, camera, and thermal sensor modalities, sufficient to characterize accuracy, noise, drift, and environmental sensitivity.
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field plus 6 years of relevant experience; or an MS in a related field plus 4 years; or a PhD in a related field plus 2 years.

Nice To Haves

• Experience stressing compute platforms, including clocks, voltage rails, thermals, memory, and I/O load, to identify performance limits and failure modes.
• Experience with robotics, humanoid, or other electromechanical systems, including actuator- or motor-driven hardware.
• Experience transitioning test methods from R&D into production or manufacturing environments, including NPI.
• Test automation experience using Python, LabVIEW, or similar tools for data acquisition, analysis, and automated test sequencing.
• Familiarity with DFT and DFM practices, including working with design engineers to add test points and improve testability.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute electrical, thermal, and environmental validation campaigns for PCBAs, wiring harnesses, sensors, and compute modules.
• Design and run HALT to identify design margins and failure modes, and develop HASS screens for production.
• Define harness tests for field-failure drivers, including continuity, insulation and contact resistance, connector retention, flex, and strain relief.
• Characterize sensor accuracy, noise, drift, and environmental sensitivity based on sensor modality physics.
• Stress compute parameters, including clocks, voltage rails, thermals, memory, and I/O load, to find performance limits.
• Build test fixtures and test automation.
• Diagnose failures to the board, connector, or component level and provide actionable feedback to design.
• Develop test methods with defined pass/fail criteria and operator documentation.
• Transfer validated methods to the Manufacturing Test team for incoming inspection and production testing.

What This Job Offers

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