Hardware Validation Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

About Mashgin

Mashgin powers the world's best checkout experience for over 40 million users. Customers just place their items on our kiosks and our AI rings up their entire order in less than a second. With Mashgin, lines are now optional.

Mashgin's technology powers over 1 billion transactions at your favorite locations, including over half of all US professional sports teams, 4,000 convenience stores, major airports, universities, and more.

We’re not just building cutting-edge AI—we’re creating real-world impact and unforgettable experiences. Backed by a well-funded Series B, we’re also one of the rare AI startups that’s already profitable.

Our secret? A culture of extreme ownership, autonomy, and customer obsession. At Mashgin, we are building something extraordinary by challenging conventional wisdom. We’ve thrown out the old rules to focus on what truly matters: creating a kickass product that makes people say, 'Wow'. We don’t care about short-term wins; we build systems that stand the test of time. If you thrive in a culture of excellence without compromise and want to see your work have an immediate, remarkable impact, you’re in the right place.

Mashgin is seeking a Hardware Validation Engineer to support validation and qualification of our custom hardware platforms and checkout systems. You will work closely with senior engineers to execute validation plans, build and automate test setups, troubleshoot hardware issues, and document results.

This is a hands-on role covering both component and system-level testing across compute platforms, cameras, USB devices, power systems, networking, and other peripherals.

This is a hybrid role that requires you to be onsite at least 2 days a week in San Jose, CA. What We Value:

• Impact : You will own significant responsibility and have total ownership over your work. We stay lean and efficient, so your work directly impacts the product we ship every day.
• Simplicity : Complexity is a waste of time here—we take pride in building things that just work.
• Hard Work : Forget the glamorous research papers. We prioritize the hard work it takes to achieve real-world clarity and accuracy. You will innovate relentlessly to push the boundaries of what’s possible in visual automation.
• Humility : No task is beneath you. Whether it's high-level architecture or grunt work to fix a bug, we check our egos at the door and get real work done.
• Ruthless Prioritization : If everything is on fire, nothing is. You will be expected to prioritize ruthlessly, cutting through distractions to focus on the most impactful product improvements.
• Customer Innovation : We are customer-centric, not customer-pleasing. You won’t bend to every client demand; you will let innovation drive the product forward to solve the real problems our users face.
• Efficiency : Meetings suck. We keep them short and only use them for alignment, giving you your time back to focus on real work.

You Will Be

- Executing functional, performance, stress, thermal, and reliability validation tests
- Building and maintaining hardware test setups and automated test tools
- Developing Python or similar scripts for test automation, data collection, and hardware communication
- Troubleshooting hardware and hardware/software integration issues
- Using lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and logic analyzers
- Reviewing datasheets, specifications, and schematics to understand test requirements
- Reproducing failures, collecting data, and supporting root-cause analysis
- Testing new hardware revisions, supplier samples, and component changes
- Documenting test procedures, results, failures, and validation reports
- Maintaining hardware configuration and validation records
- Supporting prototype builds, pilot builds, and field testing as needed
- Collaborating with hardware, software, manufacturing, suppliers, and other engineering teams

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
- A minimum of 2 years of experience in hardware validation, test engineering, or related work; relevant internship or project experience is welcome
- Hands-on experience testing and troubleshooting electrical or computer hardware
- Ability to read datasheets, technical specifications, and basic schematics
- Experience with common lab equipment such as oscilloscopes and multimeters
- Basic programming or scripting experience, preferably Python
- Comfortable working with Windows and/or Linux
- Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with hardware validation, reliability, manufacturing test, or system integration
- Familiarity with USB, serial communication, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and other hardware interfaces
- Experience with thermal, stress, burn-in, or lifecycle testing
- Familiarity with cameras, embedded systems, PC hardware, or other peripherals
- Experience with automated hardware testing or test fixtures

What Success Looks Like

You will become comfortable independently executing validation tests, troubleshooting failures, and documenting results. As you grow in the role, you will take ownership of defined validation tasks and help improve our test automation, coverage, and repeatability.

For roles based in Palo Alto, CA, the overall market range for Mashgin is typically $100,000 - $145,000 USD annually. Note that total compensation for this position will be determined by candidate’s relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other relevant factors. This estimate excludes the value of any benefits offered by Mashgin, and the potential future value of any other long-term incentives.

Mashgin is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at Mashgin are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Notice on fraudulent jobs

We have been made aware of instances of fraudulent job postings and/or fraudulent recruiting activity by bad actors, claiming to represent Mashgin. These fraudulent schemes often seek monetary contributions or payments from job seekers (such as for "start up costs" or "equipment"), or seek to collect sensitive personal or banking information from job seekers. These job postings and offers are not authorized by Mashgin, and Mashgin is not responsible for fraudulent offers or requests for personal information or payments. Mashgin will never ask for any financial commitment or contribution from a candidate at any stage of the recruitment process. Candidates who have questions about the validity of Mashgin job postings or offers should consult the job postings on our mashgin.com career site. If you think you've been scammed, please reference this site for more information.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.