Hardware Test Engineer

About Vale

At Vale, our goal is to make magic and bring the real benefits of matcha to a billion people. We are a group of fun-loving, matcha enthusiasts who believe that a good idea can come from anywhere. Vale is a Seattle startup making magic through cutting-edge technology, automation, and world class hospitality experiences. We are a dynamic and highly cross functional team with a wealth of experience in food service, food automation, software engineering, aerospace, and consumer electronics. We have come together to develop the Matcha experience of the future — whether that's in a cafe, your neighborhood park, or at home.

About you

You are someone who is enthusiastic about matcha, obsessed with innovation, and loves being a part of a dynamic team.

• Enthusiastic about matcha. The world of matcha is huge, so you should be curious about its benefits, flavor profiles, and methods of preparation.
• Detail Oriented. Take pride in your craft and ensure Vale's products are consistent, repeatable, and of the highest quality.
• Versatile. Bringing matcha to a billion people is dynamic work! You should be comfortable sharing your expertise in one area, but capable of owning something new in another.
• A bar raiser with proven experience. You don't just meet the standard — you raise it. You bring deep, hands-on expertise that elevates everyone around you and sets a new benchmark for what great looks like.
• Excited to be a part of a growing team. Vale is a growing company and we want you to grow with us.
• An adversarial thinker with an engineer's mindset. You find problems before customers do and make the products you test measurably better.

The role

As a Hardware Test Engineer, you will design and execute test strategies that validate Vale's hardware products against requirements and ensure they are ready for real-world deployment.

• Develop and execute comprehensive hardware test plans covering functional, environmental, and reliability testing
• Design and build automated test fixtures and test equipment (ATE) for production and engineering use
• Identify failures, document defects, and collaborate with design engineers on root cause analysis
• Define acceptance criteria and manage hardware qualification programs
• Develop and maintain test documentation including procedures, reports, and traceability matrices
• Partner with Manufacturing on production test strategy and yield improvement
• Continuously improve test coverage, efficiency, and speed of the validation process

Qualifications

• Legally authorized to work in the United States
• 4+ years of hardware test engineering experience in a product development environment
• Hands-on experience designing test fixtures and automated test systems
• Proficiency in Python or LabVIEW for test automation
• Strong understanding of electronics fundamentals and measurement techniques
• Experience with environmental testing (thermal, vibration, IP testing) a plus

Compensation

$95,000 – $135,000 per year

Benefits

• Company funded ORCA card
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Annual bonuses
• Joining a fun startup in Seattle