Senior Test Engineer (Hardware Automation QA)
About The Position
As our device QA / Test Engineer, you'll be the backbone of reliability for Drover products. Our device has to survive years in a field environment: sun, rain, mud, dust, cattle behavior. All while running solar power management, low-power GPS, cellular and satellite radios, embedded sensing, and our muscle-stimulation actuation system. Every one of those subsystems needs to be tested to a standard that lets us ship with confidence. This is a high-ownership role at an early-stage company: you'll design test plans, build fixtures, run environmental and reliability testing, and report results almost from day one, with the opportunity to build and lead a test/quality function as we scale.
Requirements
- Meaningful experience in hardware/device test engineering, QA, or reliability validation for physical products (IoT, ruggedized consumer electronics, wearables, automotive, or similar)
- Experience building test automation, fixtures, or DAQ/instrumentation systems from scratch
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and building process at an early-stage startup
- Strong data analysis and reporting skills — you can turn raw test data into a clear ship/no-ship recommendation
- Willing to work in-person in Austin
Nice To Haves
- Experience testing battery/solar-powered or low-power embedded devices
- Hands-on experience designing and executing environmental/reliability stress tests and understanding the underlying failure physics, not just running a checklist
- Experience with cellular, GPS, or satellite-connected hardware
- Experience with actuator, motor, or stimulation-based hardware systems
- Background working directly with contract manufacturers on DVT/PVT/MP builds
Responsibilities
- Own the test strategy for the Drover ear tag, from component-level verification through full-unit environmental and reliability testing
- Help design and manage environmental and reliability tests — thermal cycling, ingress (IP-rating), UV/solar exposure, tumble, impact/drop, vibration, and accelerated life testing (e.g. HALT)
- Build bespoke test rigs, fixtures, and data acquisition setups to automate and scale testing across hundreds of units
- Write test plans that trace directly back to product and reliability requirements, and deliver clear pass/fail evidence to engineering leadership
- Partner with hardware, firmware, and our contract manufacturer to catch failure modes early, rather than at end-of-line
- Maintain calibration records, test versioning, and full traceability across procedures and equipment
- Analyze test data and turn it into clear, actionable recommendations for design and manufacturing decisions
- Help stand up quality processes and test infrastructure that scale as we move from seed-stage prototypes to commercial production volume
- Help with early customer support to resolve early issues, high willingness to put on boots and travel out to ranchers to help debug.
Benefits
- Meaningful equity package with a high trajectory start-up
- Health, dental, vision insurance
- Paid family and medical leave
- Unlimited PTO
- Collaborative environment with emphasis on strong team culture
- Ownership and responsibility
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
