Hardware Reliability & Test Engineering Intern
An intern on Base Power's Hardware Reliability and Test team designs test fixtures, runs validation experiments (accelerated life, thermal cycling, environmental stress) on battery modules and inverters, and analyzes failure data in Python to feed insights back to the design team. Core tools: Python, DAQ systems, and bench instruments.
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Austin, TX
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Intern
- Employment
- Internship
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Hardware
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Current junior, senior, or graduate student in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field
- Hands-on experience building or testing electromechanical hardware (personal projects count)
- Comfort with Python for data analysis
- Familiarity with bench instruments: oscilloscopes, power supplies, multimeters, DAQ systems
- Attention to detail and a high bar for documentation
- Curious, self-directed, and willing to dig into a problem that doesn't have an obvious answer
Full description
About Base
Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.
About the Role
At Base, hardware doesn't ship until we know it works; not just on paper, but under real-world use and abuse. As a Hardware Reliability & Test Engineering Intern, you'll work directly with our Reliability and Test team to design test fixtures, run validation experiments, analyze failure data, and help close the feedback loop between the lab and the design team.
What You’ll Do
- Design and build test fixtures and measurement setups for electrical, mechanical, and environmental validation of battery modules, inverters, and interconnect hardware.
- Build automated test rigs, configure and troubleshoot DAQ systems.
- Run accelerated life tests, thermal cycling, and environmental stress screening in our fleet of environmental chambers.
- Analyze test data in Python using scripts to automate data ingest, anomaly detection, and pass/fail evaluation.
- Support root cause and failure analysis on hardware issues, from visual inspection and solder rework to schematic-level investigation.
- Contribute to test reports and reliability documentation that tell a clear, data-backed story.
What You'll Bring
- Current junior, senior, or graduate student in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Hands-on experience building or testing electromechanical hardware; personal projects count.
- Comfort with Python for data analysis.
- Familiarity with bench instruments: oscilloscopes, power supplies, multimeters, DAQ systems.
- Attention to detail and a high bar for documentation.
- Curious, self-directed, and willing to dig into a problem that doesn't have an obvious answer.
About this Team
The Hardware Reliability and Test team ensures our equipment exceeds engineering and reliability standards through rigorous mechanical, electrical, and environmental testing at the component, sub-assembly, and system levels. When we find failure points, we leverage data-driven insights to identify root causes and provide actionable improvements and mitigations. We act as a tight feedback loop for the design team, accelerating product maturity and ensuring we deliver a stellar experience for our members.