Senior Test Engineer

Arxlight • Oakland, CA

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About The Position

Arxlight is seeking a hands-on Senior Test Engineer to build test infrastructure for its hardware products from the ground up. The role develops tools, fixtures, automation, and test systems to assess hardware function, identify failures, and determine readiness for shipment across individual components, subsystems, assembled drones, and production units. There is no existing test lab or established procedures, so the engineer will prioritize and build what is needed while the hardware may still be changing.

The engineer will work closely with Hardware, Software, Manufacturing, and Flight Test to translate product requirements and real-world failure modes into practical, repeatable tests. The role also responds directly to unexpected findings from flight tests and production builds. It spans hands-on test infrastructure development, automated testing and data analysis, failure investigation, and ownership of test methods from early prototypes through NPI and production.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of hands-on experience in hardware test, systems test, validation, reliability, or test engineering for complex hardware products.
• Strong experience building test fixtures, automated test equipment, data acquisition systems, instrumentation, and hardware/software test setups.
• Strong programming and automation skills using Python or similar languages.
• Experience working with test equipment, APIs, serial interfaces, CAN, Ethernet, or other hardware communication protocols.
• Broad understanding of electronics, embedded systems, sensors, batteries, motors, communications, and electromechanical systems, with the ability to troubleshoot across disciplines.
• Experience developing test plans, defining pass/fail criteria, analyzing large amounts of test data, and turning failures into actionable engineering feedback.
• Comfort working hands-on in a lab, building test setups, troubleshooting unfamiliar problems, and moving quickly as products or requirements change.

Nice To Haves

• Experience testing drones, robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace hardware, or other complex electromechanical products.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), software-in-the-loop (SIL), flight simulation, or automated system-level testing.
• Experience with environmental and reliability testing, including thermal cycling, vibration, shock, ingress, drop, endurance, and accelerated life testing.
• Experience testing batteries, power systems, motors, ESCs, cameras, sensors, radios, GPS/GNSS, and other common drone subsystems.
• Experience developing production test systems and transitioning engineering test methods into reliable, repeatable manufacturing tests.
• Experience in a startup or fast-moving hardware company where building test infrastructure is expected, rather than only running an established test process.

Responsibilities

• Design and build test infrastructure for drones and subsystems, including fixtures, automated test equipment, data acquisition, and hardware-in-the-loop test setups.
• Develop automated test software and scripts to run tests, collect data, analyze results, and identify failures and performance issues.
• Build test coverage for electronics, sensors, cameras, batteries, motors, communications, flight systems, and fully assembled drones.
• Develop environmental, stress, endurance, reliability, and lifecycle tests representative of field use.
• Own test methods from early prototypes through NPI and production, turning engineering tests into repeatable systems used across the company.
• Work with Engineering and Manufacturing to investigate failures, identify root causes, improve designs, and ensure test results lead to product improvements.

What This Job Offers

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