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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Hardware Test Engineer - **Company:** Zipline - **Location:** South San Francisco, CA, United States - **Experience:** Experienced - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Testing (Software), Computer-Aided Design, Altium Designer, Automation of Tests, C++ (Programming Language), Software Debugging, Electronic Design Automation, Firmware, Python (Programming Language), Siemens NX, Data Logging, Data Processing, Scripting, Hardware Testing - **Published:** September 4, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/hardware-test-engineer-droid-zipline-8978965 ## About the Role * BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field, with 3+ years of hands-on experience delivering electromechanical hardware or test software. * Demonstrated ability to design mechanical hardware in a CAD environment (we use Siemens NX). * Comfort with the electrical side of test equipment - reading schematics, wiring up a fixture, debugging with a scope, selecting the right sensor for the job. * Real Python experience. You've written test automation, data processing scripts, or bench-top control software that other people relied on. * A systems approach to problem solving: a knack for identifying whether a failure lives in mechanics, electronics, firmware, or their interaction, and diving deep into whichever domain the problem lives in. * Strong fabrication and prototyping instincts - you're comfortable in a machine shop, with hand tools, and at a soldering station. * The judgment to know when a test is telling you something real vs. when the fixture itself is the problem., * Experience with high-cycle mechanical life testing, environmental chambers, or accelerated life test design * Firmware experience (C, C++, Rust) on microcontrollers driving test equipment * PCB design experience for custom fixtures or breakout boards (Altium, KiCad) * Prior work in drone, robotics, automotive, medical device, or consumer electronics NPI * Experience deploying test equipment to contract manufacturers and supporting production ramps ## Description * Own the ground test strategy for the droid and its interaction with zipping point infrastructure - from pickup and drop-off mechanics, to tether engagement, to environmental exposure of the mated system. * Design, build, and deploy custom mechanical test fixtures and life-test rigs, from concept through fabrication, bring-up, and long-duration operation * Develop the electrical and instrumentation side of these test systems. Load cells, thermocouples, encoders, current sensing, motor drivers, pneumatic actuators, DAQ, safety interlocks, etc. * Write the automation software that runs them - Python scripting, data logging, live health monitoring, automated pass/fail evaluation, integration into our broader hardware test framework. * Drive test campaigns from early prototype validation through qualification, life testing, and production end-of-line testing. * Triage and root-cause failures across mechanical, electrical, and firmware domains, using data, test heritage, and one-off targeted campaigns. * Partner directly with the mechanical, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing engineers designing EV3 - pushing back on requirements when the physics doesn't support them, and proposing changes when testing reveals opportunities to improve reliability. * Travel occasionally to suppliers and manufacturing partners (China, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, Germany, Vietnam) to deploy test equipment, qualify processes, and support production ramps. ## Related Videos - [More efficient software for more efficient microchips](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1164-more-efficient-software-for-more-efficient-microchips) - [JavaScript? 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