Senior Hardware & Test Validation Engineer

Anova

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Anova is seeking a Senior Hardware & Test Validation Engineer to join their team. This role is critical in ensuring the quality and reliability of Anova's Industrial IoT solutions, specifically connected tank monitors. The engineer will be responsible for assessing and modernizing existing test processes, designing and building automated test systems, and developing the validation playbook for current and future product lines. The position offers direct support from senior engineering leadership and the opportunity to shape a growing team. The role is based in Portugal, with a hybrid preference for candidates in Porto, though fully remote candidates within Portugal are also welcome, with the expectation of several on-site days per month in Porto.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or equivalent combination of education and hands-on experience.
• 4+ years of experience in test systems engineering, hardware validation, or embedded systems test
• Direct experience designing automated test hardware and test PCBs and PCB/electrical validation
• Hands-on familiarity with environmental and reliability testing (thermal, humidity, vibration, or similar) required
• Experience working across multiple phases of a structured hardware development process — whether formal (EVT/DVT/PVT, APQP) or equivalent practice at a product company where hardware goes through distinct design, validation, and production readiness stages.
• Proficiency with lab instrumentation: oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power supplies, and protocol analyzers (UART, SPI, I2C, etc.).
• Ability to write test scripts and automation tooling (Python preferred)
• Comfort reading schematics, firmware logs, and protocol traces to distinguish hardware from firmware root causes.
• Excellent English communication skills — this role requires clear and effective communication across time zones with a distributed international team, including colleagues for whom English is not a first language.
• Ability to produce clear documentation for technical and non-technical audiences essential.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on RF/wireless and firmware/embedded validation experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with statistics and data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently, take technical ownership, and influence cross-functionally without direct authority.
• Experience at a product company or IoT hardware environment, where validation scope spans the full product rather than a single functional module.
• Familiarity with cellular (LTE-M/NB-IoT) or other wireless protocol validation.
• Experience defining or significantly improving test standards, not just executing within them.
• Exposure to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, or other quality management frameworks.
• Experience supporting contract manufacturer relationships and factory bring-up activities.
• Familiarity with environmental and reliability testing standards (IEC 60068 or equivalent).
• Experience building and maintaining automated test tooling and software frameworks that integrate with custom test hardware.

Responsibilities

• Assess Anova's current test processes and standards; modernize what's needed and define the validation approach for next-generation products.
• Design and build automated test hardware — including test PCBs and fixture electronics — that enable consistent, scalable validation of Anova's product lines.
• Establish and document the test methodology, tooling, and traceability standards for hardware validation across the organization — and work cross-functionally to drive adoption with firmware engineers, QA, and test technicians.
• Define validation plans covering functional, environmental, and regression testing across PCB/electrical, RF/wireless, and firmware behavior on hardware targets — ensuring hardware and firmware are validated together, not in isolation.
• Define and maintain entry/exit criteria, test coverage metrics, and product readiness standards for each phase of hardware development.
• Own validation reporting, test results traceability, and release quality sign-off — the final word on whether hardware is ready to ship.
• Coordinate with internal engineers and external test laboratories to ensure product readiness.
• Own failure analysis for field, production, and test system issues — determining whether the root cause lies in the hardware design, the test system, firmware, or the boundary between them, and partnering with colleagues to drive closure.
• Support factory bring-up during validation builds and resolve test-related issues on the line.
• Set standards for the capture, monitoring, and traceability of test data, and work with colleagues to ensure we are maintaining the source of truth for quality and reliability investigations.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and reward strategies
• Sincere appreciation
• Opportunities for growth and advancement
• Benefits that support your life and well-being, from health and finance to recognition and reward

What This Job Offers

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