Electrical Hardware Test Engineer - PCBA Validation

Job Description

Job Description

Electrical Hardware Test Engineer – PCBA Validation

About the Role

We are seeking an Electrical Hardware Test Engineer to own detailed validation testing of PCBAs supporting next-generation battery and energy storage systems. This engineer will take electrical requirements, develop robust test plans and methods, execute hands-on validation testing, and clearly document results and design findings.

You will work closely with Electrical Engineering, Systems, Firmware, and Hardware teams to validate that circuit boards meet their electrical, functional, reliability, and safety requirements. This is a highly hands-on role working with prototype hardware where the engineer will need to determine how a requirement should actually be measured and proven through testing .

The ideal candidate has a strong electrical engineering foundation and enjoys taking something that may be somewhat ambiguous—such as a voltage, resistance, load, or interface requirement—and developing a thorough, repeatable test methodology around it.

What You'll Do

• Develop detailed hardware validation and verification test plans based on electrical and system-level requirements.

• Read and interpret electrical schematics, engineering specifications, and product requirements.

• Translate requirements into clear, measurable, and repeatable test methods .

• Determine the appropriate equipment, fixtures, instrumentation, loading conditions, environmental factors, and acceptance criteria required to validate each requirement.

• Perform hands-on electrical testing of prototype and production-intent PCBAs.

• Measure and validate parameters including voltage, current, resistance, continuity, signal behavior, and power performance .

• Perform Hi-Pot / dielectric withstand testing , insulation-related testing, and other electrical safety validation.

• Conduct reliability and repetitive validation testing to ensure hardware performs consistently over time.

• Identify ambiguity or gaps within requirements and develop robust test approaches that adequately capture the intent of the requirement.

• Build test setups and identify necessary lab equipment, fixtures, instrumentation, and tooling.

• Execute validation tests repeatedly and systematically across multiple circuit boards and hardware revisions.

• Analyze test data and determine whether the hardware meets requirements.

• Document both successful and failed test results , including clear evidence and measurements.

• Generate validation reports and present findings to engineering teams on a regular basis.

• Work with Electrical Engineers to identify design issues and determine what changes may be required to the circuit.

• Support investigation of failures by tracing measured behavior back to schematics, requirements, and circuit design.

• Work with Firmware and Systems teams when hardware functionality or test results are influenced by firmware-controlled features or interfaces.

• Help establish scalable validation processes as the company moves toward Gen 2 battery system deployment and increased test coverage .

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering , or a closely related discipline.

• Experience performing electrical hardware validation, verification, or test engineering .

• Strong ability to read and understand schematics, circuit diagrams, and electrical requirements .

• Experience developing test plans from engineering requirements.

• Strong understanding of basic electrical engineering principles, including voltage, current, resistance, loads, circuits, and electrical interfaces.

• Hands-on experience testing PCBAs / circuit boards .

• Experience with electrical laboratory equipment such as:

  • Oscilloscopes

  • Digital multimeters

  • Power supplies

  • Electronic loads

  • Hi-Pot testers

  • Other electrical test and measurement equipment

• Ability to determine how a requirement should be tested , not simply execute a predefined procedure.

• Strong technical documentation and report-writing skills.

• Ability to troubleshoot unexpected test results and communicate findings clearly.

• Comfortable working with prototype hardware and evolving test equipment/fixtures.

• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to repetitive testing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in battery systems, energy storage, EVs, power electronics, aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated/high-reliability hardware environments .

• Experience validating hardware against formal engineering requirements.

• Experience creating validation procedures for new or evolving hardware.

• Familiarity with firmware-controlled hardware and electrical interfaces.

• Experience working cross-functionally with Electrical, Firmware, Systems, and Mechanical Engineering teams.

• Experience developing test fixtures or identifying custom instrumentation requirements.

• Familiarity with automated test equipment or electronic test bench software/tools.

• Experience with hardware reliability testing and qualification.

What Success Looks Like

First 30 Days

• Take ownership of a more complex PCBA.

• Learn the schematic and understand the circuit architecture.

• Review and interpret the applicable electrical requirements.

• Begin translating requirements into a comprehensive validation plan.

• Identify missing equipment, fixtures, or instrumentation and initiate procurement.

• Develop an understanding of how the hardware interacts with surrounding systems.

First 90 Days

• Independently execute validation testing across assigned circuit boards.

• Complete test execution cycles typically taking 2–3 weeks , depending on board complexity.

• Generate detailed validation reports documenting pass/fail results and supporting data.

• Present findings to engineering teams and communicate design issues discovered during testing.

• Help identify improvements to the test methodology and overall validation process.

• Contribute toward increasing hardware test coverage for the Gen 2 battery platform .

The Engineering Challenge

A major part of this role is taking requirements that may initially appear straightforward and determining what it actually means to prove the hardware meets them .

For example, if a requirement states that a circuit must operate at 85 volts , the engineer needs to determine:

• What is the appropriate test method?

• What input voltage range should be evaluated?

• Should the circuit be tested under load?

• What load conditions matter?

• What measurements need to be captured?

• What external factors could affect the result?

• What constitutes an acceptable result?

• How should the test be repeated to demonstrate robustness?

This role is therefore not simply following a test procedure . We are looking for an engineer who can understand the electrical design and requirements, identify what needs to be proven, and develop a technically sound method for proving it.

Team & Opportunity

The company is currently expanding validation capabilities for its next-generation battery platform . There are approximately 10 circuit boards requiring validation , with only a portion of the hardware currently covered by established testing. The goal is to significantly increase test coverage while building a scalable validation organization.

This position offers an opportunity to have a direct impact on how hardware is validated before deployment, while working closely with the engineers responsible for designing the next generation of energy storage technology.