Test and Integration Engineer

Gradian Thermal Solutions•Maple Grove, MN

2d•$80,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Gradian is seeking a Test & Integration Engineer to lead execution, validation, and continuous improvement of laboratory and system-level testing for air handling, liquid cooling, and chiller product lines. The role owns the Design Verification Plan (DVP), translating product and system requirements into traceable verification methods, procedures, acceptance criteria, schedules, and objective evidence. It leads test configuration, integration, commissioning, data analysis, and onsite system setup, partnering with NPD, Quality, Operations, Controls, and Product Engineering to verify performance, reliability, safety, compliance, and release readiness. The position works with air, liquid, and refrigeration test systems and instrumentation, monitors system performance, and ensures test data is accurate, repeatable, and traceable. It also leads issue resolution, maintains verification records, supports prototype and production equipment installation and commissioning, and provides day-to-day work direction to Test Technicians. The role is based at Gradian’s Maple Grove, Minnesota office and is listed as full-time. Gradian is an engineering-led thermal solutions partner serving data center, mission-critical, commercial, and industrial markets. The company designs and manufactures liquid cooling systems, air handling equipment, heat rejection units, and modular thermal management solutions. It describes its culture as people-first and collaborative, with work spanning development through deployment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from an accredited institution.
1–3 years of engineering experience in product verification, a test laboratory, R&D, HVAC, thermal systems, or a related equipment development environment.
Working knowledge of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, psychrometrics, airflow, hydronics, and refrigeration-cycle fundamentals relevant to air handling, liquid cooling, and chiller systems.
Hands-on mechanical aptitude with pumps, piping, fittings, valves, heat exchangers, coils, fans, blowers, ductwork, compressors, and fluid or refrigerant systems.
Experience developing or executing verification plans, test procedures, acceptance criteria, and requirements traceability, including organizing objective evidence through DVP closure.
Familiarity with temperature, pressure, airflow, fluid-flow, humidity, electrical-power, vibration, and refrigeration instrumentation and associated data-acquisition systems.
Ability to analyze test data, assess uncertainty and repeatability, identify abnormal system behavior, and communicate technically sound conclusions.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, P&IDs, refrigeration schematics, wiring diagrams, control sequences, specifications, and product requirements.
Ability to work safely around rotating equipment, pressurized systems, electrical controls, refrigerants, water/glycol mixtures, and operating HVAC equipment.

Nice To Haves

Experience testing air handling units, computer-room air handlers, liquid-cooling distribution units, heat-rejection equipment, or packaged chillers.
Experience with DAQ and controls platforms such as LabVIEW, PLC-based systems, building automation systems, or similar tools.
Knowledge of applicable HVAC, chiller, pressure, electrical, and product-performance standards and certification test methods.
Experience with glycol-based coolants, water treatment, fluid cleanliness, filtration, evacuation, charging, refrigerant handling, and contamination control.
Experience with statistical analysis, test uncertainty, design of experiments, failure analysis, and corrective-action methods.
Basic programming or data-analysis capability for automating tests, processing data, and generating repeatable engineering reports.

Responsibilities

Own, develop, and maintain the Design Verification Plan (DVP) for air handling, liquid cooling, and chiller products, including requirements traceability, verification methods, test ownership, acceptance criteria, schedules, risks, and closure evidence.
Define and execute functional, performance, reliability, compliance, integration, and commissioning tests for new product development programs.
Set up, configure, operate, and monitor air, liquid, and refrigeration test systems and their associated components and environmental controls.
Develop and review test procedures covering system configuration, instrumentation placement, airflow and fluid-flow control, refrigeration conditions, electrical and controls interfaces, safety controls, and environmental conditions.
Monitor and evaluate thermal capacity, psychrometrics, airflow, pressure stability, fluid-flow characteristics, refrigerant circuit performance, acoustics, vibration, leak detection, and overall system integrity.
Collect, analyze, validate, and report test data using calibrated temperature, pressure, airflow, fluid-flow, humidity, electrical, and refrigeration instrumentation.
Perform instrumentation verification and calibration checks, validate sensor accuracy, and maintain calibration, configuration, and deviation records.
Document test anomalies, support root-cause analysis, coordinate corrective actions, and update the DVP and verification evidence as designs evolve.
Assemble, adjust, and reconfigure test fixtures, ductwork, piping, brackets, controls, and laboratory hardware; support installation and commissioning of prototype and production equipment.
Maintain test logs, configuration records, procedures, work instructions, results summaries, and DVP status; communicate risks, gaps, equipment issues, and verification conclusions to stakeholders.
Provide day-to-day work direction to Test Technicians, clarify procedures and acceptance criteria, coordinate resources, monitor execution, and review test records and results.
Collaborate with engineering, Quality, Operations, Product Management, suppliers, and external laboratories to improve product validation, laboratory capability, safety, efficiency, and continuous improvement.